Canadian Denis Villeneuve is Directing the Next James Bond |

Canadian Denis Villeneuve is Directing the Next James Bond

This news is incredible.

Canada should be extremely proud of talented director Denis Villeneuve.

When I think of Canadian directors, there are a few who first come to mind. Obviously I’m biased toward my favourite genres — Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Suspense — and the names are representative of those genres. They are: James Cameron, David Cronenberg, and Denis Villeneuve.

Denis Villeneuve’s resumé is beyond impressive. Most know him from the recent Dune movies, but there is a different film he directed that resonated with me.

DV with Rebecca Ferguson in the desert

The Resumé

Prisoners
Sicario
The Arrival
Dune: Part 1
Dune: Part 2
Dune: Part 3 (forthcoming)

It’s that first film in the list that impresses me the most. Prisoners starred Hugh Jackman as a parent on the ragged edge, dealing with the abduction of his daughter, and Jake Gyllenhaal as the police detective investigating the mystery to hopefully find two missing girls. Jackman thinks he knows the culprit, and Gyllenhaal finds himself trying to deal with an angry and hostile parent while also trying to solve the mystery. It is an edge-of-the-seat police procedural and is simply riveting. It’s in the same genre as Silence of the Lambs, however, so viewer beware. That being said, when I saw that film, I knew Denis was a talent unlike most others.

It turns out that Villeneuve has been a fan of Bond since childhood. Now that Amazon has the rights to James Bond, they are actively working to get a film into production. There is still no word on the actor, but now they have an A-list director, who also happens to be a massive talent. As soon as Dune: Part 3 is wrapped up, Denis will move over into the new Bond film. He recently said this:

“Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since ‘Dr. No’ with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” Villeneuve said. “I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.” — Denis Villeneuve

I am excited to see what he does with the franchise. I hope he brings a touch of humour and fun back to Bond. This has been abandoned in recent years. In many ways, recently the Mission: Impossible franchise actually represents the Bond that many people remember. Thrilling, action-packed, and funny. Recent Bonds have been more about ‘style’ and (exceptional) cinematography than featuring the elements that made Bond so famous.

Today, I send this message to Denis Villeneuve: Good luck and I’m in your corner. Enjoy this experience and create a fun, intense, and action-packed Bond movie. You’ve got this!

— Timothy S. Johnston

Sources:

Variety

Deadline

CNN

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 3 July 2025

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007