How exactly Amazon MGM Studios will handle Bond has been a subject of debate - including in a think piece from IndieWire's own Christian Blauvelt - but signing on Villeneuve, whose "Dune" series and "Arrival" earned a bevy of Oscar nominations, seems to indicate a commitment to properly stewarding the next 007 incarnation.

With the director now in place, Amazon MGM Studios has hired Steven Knight to write the screenplay for the 26th James Bond film — the first installment since longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson ceded full creative control of the franchise to the studio.