Will Denis Villeneuve play it safe or do something shocking with Bond 26? On the surface, it seems like there’s an obvious answer to this question, since Villeneuve’s movies have never played it safe. This is precisely why he has become one of Hollywood’s most interesting directors after helming films like Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune.

However, it seems like he will have slightly less creative control over the upcoming Bond 26. This isn’t necessarily surprising, since the creative direction of the long-running franchise has always been dictated by the producers. In the past, these producers were members of the Broccoli family, but now Amazon has full creative control of the iconic spy series.

Bond 26 will be the start of a new era, and Amazon’s executives need to prove to dedicated fans that they will treat it with the utmost care and respect. Because of that, playing it safe may be the course of action that the studio wants to take. However, there’s a chance that Villeneuve could take a huge risk with Bond 26 by making it an unexpected genre film.

It’s Expected That Bond 26 Will Be A Grounded Spy Movie

At this point in time, it’s hard to predict exactly what the style and tone of Bond 26 will be like. Even though it has officially been announced that Villeneuve will direct the movie, filming will not begin until he’s done working on Dune: Part Three. In the meantime, Steven Knight, who has been confirmed as the movie’s writer, will start penning the screenplay.

Based on this creative team, it’s expected that Bond 26 will be a grounded spy movie. Knight is best known for creating the acclaimed show Peaky Blinders, and has worked on plenty of other character-driven projects. Meanwhile, most of Villeneuve’s earlier movies are quite grounded and gritty, such as Incendies and Prisoners.

Since Villeneuve became attached to Bond 26, many have been looking to his 2015 film Sicario to see what kind of tone it could have. Sicario follows an FBI agent who gets recruited for a task force that is meant to combat various cartels in the war on drugs. Since it is a tense crime thriller, comparisons can definitely be drawn between it and various James Bond movies.

If Bond 26 does adopt a similar tone as Sicario, then it will be an incredibly serious and realistic depiction of one of 007’s missions. Making Bond 26 a grounded spy movie would definitely be the safest bet for both Villeneuve and Amazon, especially after Daniel Craig’s movies. Those films were significantly grittier and more grounded than previous entries in the franchise, which made sense for modern audiences.

A few of these films—Casino Royale, Skyfall, and No Time to Die—received incredible reviews and are now regarded as three of the best Bond movies ever. After the success of these movies, it wouldn’t be surprising if Amazon encouraged Villeneuve to focus on realism while filming Bond 26. However, there’s a chance that he will take a bold swing instead and make it a sci-fi movie.

Denis Villeneuve Could Make Bond 26 A Sci-Fi Movie

The idea of making Bond 26 a science fiction film will probably sound utterly ridiculous to most people. However, it cannot be ignored that Villeneuve is widely considered the modern king of the science fiction genre. In fact, ever since Sicario, every film he has directed has been a science fiction movie.

Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and both of the Dune films all received outstanding reviews from fans and critics. Villeneuve clearly loves the sci-fi genre, which means that he may want to take Bond 26 in an unexpected direction. Even though this would be surprising, it’s not unheard of, as a James Bond movie from 46 years ago was basically a science fiction film.

1979’s Moonraker was the James Bond franchise’s response to the success of Star Wars, and actually saw 007 take down an evil mastermind on a space station. It was not received well by critics, and currently has a score of 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, Moonraker was a bold experiment that didn’t pan out, but that doesn’t mean Bond 26 needs to repeat history.

Admittedly, while practically all the films in the franchise include fun gadgets, it would be incredibly hard to pull off a James Bond movie with heavy science fiction elements. However, if anyone can do it, it’s Villeneuve. Perhaps James Bond will finally return to space under his direction.

Making Bond 26 a science fiction movie would obviously be much riskier for Amazon than a grounded approach. However, given his background, it would be a lot of fun to see Villeneuve attempt this. No matter what approach he takes with Bond 26, his previous movies give fans every reason to be confident that the film will be amazing and start an exciting new chapter for the long-running franchise.