In his new video, Marco Risch from Nerdkultur talks about the next film in the James Bond series – and what role its director will take on.
Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has been publishing reviews, analyses, and news in video form on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur about movies and series.
He can also be heard on the podcast Nerd & Kultur, which he co-hosts with his colleague Yves Arievich. Here, they discuss pop culture topics, such as Star Wars, Marvel, and much more.
Both the YouTube channel and the podcast are part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.
In his latest video, Marco discusses the next James Bond film and its director Denis Villeneuve. The focus is mainly on what influence the creative mind behind “Dune” and “Blade Runner 2049” will have on the long-established spy series.
Here you can see the video in full:
A director, but not an auteur
How important is the director? The news of who will be the director of the next Bond film has been eagerly anticipated. Now it’s official: Denis Villeneuve will take the director’s chair.
They have chosen a veteran for the new majority owner of the brand, namely Amazon. According to Marco, however, the director is not the most important factor for Bond – the impact of how a film in the series feels can only be partially attributed to him.
Bond has always been a traditional series, firmly held in the hands of producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli. Later, Broccoli’s children, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, took the reins. They had the largest influence on the series and also denied directors the right to final cut – that is, the decision over the final edit.
This aspect has led to the refusal of several notable directors. Among others, Christopher Nolan was reportedly offered the opportunity to direct Bond. However, the right to final cut was too important to him, so he declined. Villeneuve seems not to be bothered by this. Unlike Nolan, he is not a classic auteur filmmaker who wants to control every single aspect of filmmaking.
A fan directs
With Denis Villeneuve, a director comes into play who has talked for years about how much he loves Bond. He has already gained extensive experience with big films and has revitalized a known franchise multiple times with “Blade Runner 2049” and “Dune”.
It’s important to note that Villeneuve will not write the new Bond himself. According to Marco Risch, he simply doesn’t have time for that. Villeneuve is currently working on “Dune 3” and three other projects. The next 007 is not expected before 2028.
However, the screenplay is still very important for the new film. Even a great director is only as good as the screenplay – as proven by the challenges faced by Villeneuve’s predecessors Sam Mendes and Cary Fukunaga. Some story developments in “Skyfall”, “Spectre”, and “No Time To Die” were not very successful. How the Craig films stack up against each other can be found on MeinMMO.
Marco is sure that Villeneuve, as a fan of Bond, has studied the older films well. Especially his favorite Bond, “Casino Royale,” has been quoted in other Villeneuve films. And Sean Connery’s version already served as inspiration in “Sicario” – whether consciously or unconsciously.
Visually, the next Bond could look more like “Skyfall” again. The cinematographer Roger Deakins has worked multiple times with Villeneuve, including on “Blade Runner 2049”.
Who will be the next 007?
Another decision, according to Marco, lies only partially with Denis Villeneuve. Namely, the answer to the question of who will play the role of James Bond now. The casting is being handled by Amazon’s producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
After the former leadership of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, actor Aaron Taylor Johnson was a hot candidate, but currently, Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi, and Harris Dickinson are leading the race.
Marco emphasizes that all three are between 28 and 29 years old and therefore quite young for Bond. On the other hand, they would be about 32 years old at the film’s release – the same age as Sean Connery in his first appearance. By the way, the youngest Bond of all time was George Lazenby, although, as Marco notes, he looked significantly older back then.
In parallel, a video game based on James Bond is also in development. Here, too, they are keeping quiet about who will play the role, even though there is already video material. According to Marco, this may be because they do not want to distract attention from the film Bond.
How the next Bond will ultimately look under the direction of Denis Villeneuve and who will play the role remains to be seen. What do you think of the choice of director? Do you believe Villeneuve will do a good job? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Marco Risch has previously dealt with the popular secret agent: Afterwards, you will see the beginning of GoldenEye in a new light
