James Bond 26 is still a while away, but the project is steadily moving forward at Amazon with some crucial additions to the crew happening over the past few weeks. The film marks the beginning of a new era for James Bond at Amazon, rebooting the franchise following Daniel Craig’s exit in No Time To Die.

After receiving critical acclaim and box office success with the Dune franchise, Denis Villeneuve was previously announced as the director to shepherd 007 forward. That has only intensified discussions about who could potentially star in this new iteration of the iconic franchise.

While nobody has yet been cast as Bond 26’s new 007, the official involvement of a major creatives is a mᴀssive step forward for the sequel. After searching for the right person to pen this highly anticipated script, Stephen Knight has finally been confirmed as Bond 26’s writer.

The script is reportedly in the early stages of development while Amazon searches for the perfect cast, and one name in particular has gathered some traction following the announcement.

Bond 26’s Writer Has A Big Connection To Cillian Murphy

While Cillian Murphy isn’t the right demographic to play James Bond, he’s always been a popular fancast to star as Bond 26’s villain. He’s a big British star who now has some more box office and award clout behind him after Oppenheimer, which has raised his profile higher, and showed why he’d be great as 007’s next foil.

And with the announcement that Stephen Knight will be involved in the project, these odds have just increased even further. The pair previously collaborated on Peaky Blinders, written by Stephen Knight and starring Cillian Murphy in the lead role.

While it’s uncertain just how much influence Knight will have over the casting process, he will certainly be involved in discussions. And since the writer is currently working on The Immortal Man with Cillian Murphy, the actor’s name could likely come up as development continues. The stars seem to finally be aligning for Murphy to get involved with Bond.

Amazon’s James Bond franchise will reportedly be a complete reboot of the long-running spy series, so any of Ian Fleming’s iconic Bond villains are technically on the cards. Knight could easily introduce a new version of Blofeld, Jaws, or Goldfinger into his script – and Murphy is right there to play any role.

He’s going to be incredibly sought-after following his Academy Award win two years ago, and it’d make sense for him to get back involved with a major blockbuster. Whatever route Bond 26 takes, it now looks increasingly plausible that Cillian Murphy will be attached somehow.