Barbara Broccoli Gives Familiar Status Update on Bond 26

Barbara Broccoli attended the British Film Institute (BFI) Fellowship awards ceremony Wednesday evening in London. During the event Rishi Sunak gave a speech where he singled out the producer as he jokingly threw his hat into the ring for the casting of the next James Bond actor. Broccoli was heard politely saying “no” and she later added that “there’s nothing I can tell you about the next Bond film. There’s nothing. Nothing is happening yet.”

Broccoli’s comment is the first status update for Bond 26 we’ve heard since November 2023. In the last interview she was far more willing to speak about the development process and talked about possibly casting a non-star actor. Broccoli also mentioned they’re staying open-minded for their choice of director and that the decision is far away.

Aside from this Christopher Nolan was the man of the evening – receiving the prestigious Fellowship Award for his filmography’s overall impact on cinema. However director Denis Villeneuve (Dune), who was seated at Broccoli’s table, managed to gain some of the spotlight’s attention with his comments on Bond saying that the character is “a figure linked with my childhood. A charismatic figure I have adored through the years. A character that you can put a lot of your shadows into. A very interesting character.”

At one point in the evening renowned Bond columnist Baz Bamigboye approached Broccoli to ask whether she’d discussed Bond 26 with Villeneuve at all. She replied, “I must go and say goodnight to the Prime Minister” and quickly ended the discussion.

Denis Villeneuve is no stranger when it comes to action films and event cinema. From Sicario to Blade Runner 2049 he proved his ability at creating intellectual films that boast stunning visuals. It’s one of the many reasons Bond fans have been rallying behind him to direct Bond 26. Villeneuve even once revealed in an interview with Variety that he would “deeply love to one day make a James Bond movie.” So if the upcoming Dune: Part Two film is the critical and financial success it’s building up to be then he would certainly be one step closer to making it a reality.

Source: Deadline (Baz Bamigboye)