The hunt for the next James Bond is on, and with Denis Villeneuve now attached to direct the 26th installment, speculation is running wild. But before the French-Canadian filmmaker steps behind the camera, one legendary director has some thoughts on how to revive 007: Quentin Tarantino.
Tarantino, who famously tried to make his own Bond movie in the 1990s, recently shared his vision for the franchise's future. Speaking to Deadline, he suggested that the series should stop inventing new plots and instead adapt Ian Fleming's original novels more faithfully. "So many of the books have these really classic names and really classic adventures," he said. "For the most part, a lot of them, they never did the book. They never did the stories."
His idea is simple: don't remake the old films, but bring Fleming's stories to the screen as written. "They took the plot line and maybe the Bond girl or maybe the villain and then just went their own way," Tarantino explained. "I think they should not remake the movies but actually just do the books, but do them the way they were written. And those would all be brand new."
It's a tantalizing prospect. While all fourteen of Fleming's novels have been adapted, many took liberties with the source material. The last truly faithful adaptation was Casino Royale in 2006, which introduced Daniel Craig as a grittier, more vulnerable Bond. Since then, the franchise has leaned on original stories, often blending elements from multiple books or inventing new threats.
Tarantino's own history with Bond is a tale of missed opportunity. In the mid-'90s, fresh off Pulp Fiction, he pitched a standalone Bond film based on Casino Royale, set in the '60s with no sequel planned. But EON Productions, the franchise's longtime steward, wasn't interested. "I was always told very flattering versions of like, 'Look, we love Quentin, but we make a certain kind of movie, and unless we f*** it up, we make a billion dollars every time we make that type of movie,'" he recalled.
Despite the rejection, Tarantino remained a fan, praising Craig's era as "a good run." And now, with Villeneuve at the helm, there's reason to believe the franchise might finally embrace a more literary approach. Villeneuve has called Casino Royale his favorite Bond film and Craig "the ultimate James Bond," suggesting he values the same grounded, character-driven storytelling that Tarantino champions.
Interestingly, Tarantino and Villeneuve have a bit of history. Tarantino once said he refused to watch Villeneuve's Dune films, dismissing them as remakes. Villeneuve countered that they were separate adaptations, not remakes. But when it comes to Bond, the two auteurs may find common ground.
As the franchise prepares for a new chapter, Tarantino's advice carries weight. A faithful adaptation of a Fleming novel—say, Moonraker or From Russia, with Love—could offer the fresh take fans crave. And with Villeneuve's track record for epic, character-driven blockbusters, he might just be the one to deliver it.
For now, fans can only speculate. But one thing is certain: the next Bond film is shaping up to be a fascinating blend of old and new. And if Tarantino's vision comes to pass, we might finally see the Bond that Fleming intended.
For more on the future of 007, check out our piece on Saoirse Ronan's pitch for a female villain. And if you're a Tarantino fan, you might enjoy our ranking of his films.
