Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film

Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film, helmed by Amazon MGM, the studio announced Wednesday.

The French-Canadian director, who is directing Dune , said in a statement from Amazon that the project is "a great responsibility" as well as "a great honor."

"I'm a huge Bond fan. For me, he's a sacred character," Villeneuve added.

"I grew up watching James Bond movies with my father (...) I intend to honor the tradition and pave the way for many new missions to come," he added.

"We're honored that Denis has agreed to direct the next James Bond chapter. He's a master filmmaker whose filmography speaks for itself," said Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Prime.

The giant, which is in charge of the saga of the world's most famous spy, also announced that Tanya Lapointe will serve as executive producer, while Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce the highly anticipated film.

What remains a mystery is who will step into the shoes of James Bond , who was played by Daniel Craig until 2021, when he said goodbye to the character after the release of No Time to Die.

The saga changed hands after this film. Amazon paid nearly $8.45 billion to acquire the legendary Hollywood studio MGM in 2022, which included the catalog of previous James Bond films.

But for three years, the distribution giant faced resistance from Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, the saga's longtime producers, who jealously guarded their rights to the films.

Amazon finally reached a financial agreement with them in February to gain creative control of the franchise.

The deal, for an undisclosed value, will allow Jeff Bezos' company to pilot Bond's next adventures.

Some fans fear that the character will be overexploited by Amazon, which could increase the number of films or even release series and spin-offs on its Prime streaming service .

Villeneuve is coming off the heels of directing the two parts of the science fiction saga Dune , which earned coveted Oscar nominations for Best Picture.

The second installment of the franchise grossed $700 million at the box office last year and won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Special Effects.