Denis Villeneuve Decided to Direct New James Bond Film After “Dune: Part Three”: “I Need a Powerful Rocket to Get Me Away From Arrakis”

Denis Villeneuve recently told Empire that he returned to “Dune” for the third and final chapter so he could “deal with heavy material,” and that his next film, a James Bond movie, will be “a very powerful rocket” he needs “to get me away from Arrakis.” “I said, maybe it’s a good idea to go back […]”

Denis Villeneuve recently told Empire that he's returning to "Dune" for the third and final season so he can "be strict with the material" and that his upcoming James Bond film will be the "very powerful rocket" he needs to "get me away from Arrakis."

"I said, 'Maybe it's a good idea to go back to this project, not out of nostalgia, not because I miss it, but on the contrary - I'm tired of it,'" he explained. "I thought, 'When I'm done, I'm going to need a really powerful rocket to get me away from Arrakis.'" When they asked me to do the next runway, I said, "Okay, this is what I need."

Villeneuve, director of "Prisoners," "Sicario" and "The Arrival," hasn't directed a film outside of the "Dune" franchise since "Part I" in 2021. "The Dune: Part II" hits theaters in 2024, and "The Dune: Part 3" hits theaters on December 18, 2020.

In June 2025, it was revealed that Villeneuve, a die-hard Bond fan, would direct the next 007 film. There is a lot of speculation about who will take over the mantle of Daniel Craig after 15 years. Gary Oldman recently claimed that the next James Bond has already been cast, but no official casting announcements have been made.

Based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah, Dune: Part III tells the story of Paul Atreides' fall from prophetic liberator to tyrannical emperor. Timothee Chalamet stars as Paul alongside Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.

Zendaya talked about the arc of her character, Chani, in "Dune: Part 3" in a personal sit-down with Empire. She revealed that in the new film, Chaney will feel "deep pain" and "deep betrayal" as Paul becomes unrecognizable from the man she fell in love with.

"In the previous film, he made room for love or kindness with the idea of letting someone in," he said. "Well, we'll see how it goes. That part of his life is gone."