After months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the next chapter in the James Bond saga is taking shape.
Following the recent news that Dune director Denis Villeneuve will helm the next 007 film, Amazon MGM Studios has officially selected its screenwriter: Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Sources confirm that Knight will pen the script for the next installment in the long-running spy franchise, according to Deadline.
The announcement follows an intensive search by Amazon MGM, which gained full creative control of the Bond series earlier this year.
Knight’s appointment marks a pivotal step in what the studio hopes will be a bold new era for Bond.
Producers Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and David Heyman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) were among the first creative leads brought onboard, with Tanya Lapointe serving as executive producer.
The team has reportedly been meticulous in assembling the next phase of Bond’s cinematic legacy, holding numerous meetings over the past few months to lock down key talent.
While speculation has swirled about who might step into the tuxedo as the next 007, insiders emphasise that the studio’s recent focus has been squarely on script development.
Knight had emerged as a frontrunner in recent weeks, but his hiring reportedly hinged on a key meeting with Villeneuve, who has been deep in production on the next Dune installment.
That meeting took place last week, and sources say Villeneuve gave his enthusiastic endorsement after he was chosen as the director for Bond 26, clearing the way for Knight to officially take on the project.
Knight brings with him an impressive CV. Best known for creating the BAFTA-winning Peaky Blinders, he has also written and produced acclaimed series such as Taboo (BBC/FX), SAS Rogue Heroes (BBC), and All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix), the latter earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Limited Series.
His film work includes the Oscar-nominated Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, and Spencer, as well as Locke, Serenity, and Hummingbird – projects he both wrote and directed.
He was awarded a CBE in 2020 for services to drama and entertainment, and in 2023 was granted a Fellowship by the Royal Television Society for his contributions to British television.
He also co-founded Digbeth Loc. Studios, a film and TV production hub in Birmingham that opened its doors last year.
As development heats up, fans may still be waiting to learn who will step into 007’s shoes.
After well over a year of fevered speculation – ever since he was falsely reported to have officially landed the 007 gig, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has remained one of the front-runners to play Bond next.
Fresh odds from Ladbrokes on Wednesday had him at 8/11, making him the first odds-on candidate in their eyes to be the next 007, after his appearance in 28 Years Later with Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes.
(Picture: Col Pics/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
Behind him is another hot favourite Callum Turner, next to be seen in A24 supernatural rom-com Eternity with Elisabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, and The Gentlemen’s Theo James, both of whom are on 5/1.
Slow Horses star and new Mr Darcy Jack Lowden is 6/1, and both Harris Dickinson and Tom Holland are 8/1.
Egerton is currently 66/1 the bookmakers confirmed to Metro, having been bumped from 50/1 as recently as Friday.
He started the year as 80/1 to be the next Bond, the same price as Sir David Beckham.
His shortest odds were 25/1 just after he picked up his Golden Globe in 2020.
With Villeneuve set to bring his signature scope and precision to the director’s chair, and Knight anchoring the story, the next Bond film is already shaping up to be a high-stakes reinvention.
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