New Bond film to be directed by Denis Villeneuve

[Stephen Perera]

What you all think? For me, has to be shot on Kodak to keep the look and tradition.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn41yddj4m1o

Edited June 26, 2025 by Stephen Perera

[Karim D. Ghantous]

This is promising. I'm expecting good things. 'Arrival' was a really good film.

[Gautam Valluri]

Skyfall was the only Bond film shot digitally (by Deakins). I believe Van Hoytema shot some Spectre sequences on the Arri Alexa (the one-take opening sequence). No Time To Die AFAIK was purely film, knowing Sandgren's preferences.

I think the last Villeneuve film shot on film was Prisoners. And taking into account that Amazon is a digital streaming platform, it looks highly unlikely that it will be shot on film.

In any case, the filming format is not important. Villeneuve and Amazon are not the right forces to be making a next-generation Bond. The Craig-era was already too self-serious and joyless. Villeneuve's male protagonists are too soft-spoken, low-energy and passive. I fear that this version of Bond will be geared towards young adults, where cool gadgets and action sequences become front and center, and a villain who's nothing more than a living sculpture in a ridiculously high-ceiling environment.

My favourite Bond films have all been directed by non-auteur/ workmen directors getting things done, much like Bond does himself. People forget that Bond is an employee doing his job. I would've gone with a director like Kenneth Branagh or Edward Berger (the Conclave guy). They have an non-obtrusive, invisible style of directing. With Branagh, he might even play the villain or M so even better.

[Stephen Perera]

Gautam, we shall see what they come up with, the Bond fan base demands certain standards. I am positive Kodak film will be used. They did 'film outs' for Dune for artistic reasons. My guess is he will employ Creig Fraser who shot Star Wars Rogue One on celluloid conforming to the traditional look of Star Wars. Yes, as usual, I am here boring everyone with the same obsession with film haha.

 

[Gautam Valluri]

3 hours ago, Stephen Perera said:

My guess is he will employ Creig Fraser who shot Star Wars Rogue One on celluloid conforming to the traditional look of Star Wars

Stephen, Rogue One was shot on the Arri Alexa 65. 

[Stephen Perera]

yes you're right they did prints of the film in many formats

So now they're all talking about WHO will be the next Bond and talk is that it's going to be an 'origin' story and have a young actor. We shall see what they do.

Edited June 30, 2025 by Stephen Perera

[Jon O'Brien]

They're probably best to reboot the whole series (like doing a remake, but sooner than usual). Just go ahead as if the Craig series of films never happened. Don't try to stick to some kind of canon that attempst to link in with the previous films. That would be difficult and awkward. You'd need a convincing look-alike too. Extremely difficult to do. No, start completely afresh.

They could even start with Dr No. Start with a young Bond at around the time he earns his 00 prefix. I hope they shoot it on film too and keep the quality at its usual very high level. I'm inclined to think that if they go fully digital on it it will end up looking like a Netflix series that's also shown in cinemas. Yes, it's possible to keep a very high cinematic quality shooting on video but the tendency in the real world is that the level of the 'look' is in danger of declining over time when moving to digital on a series that started on film. It gets that modern pristine or plastic look that so many seem to be so happy with. But there you go. It is what it is.

Yep, hoping they shoot on Kodak film.

Edited July 1, 2025 by Jon O'Brien

[Stephen Perera]

you have articulated my thoughts better than I could my friend Jon hahah