Steven Knight has spoken about his approach for the new James Bond film, and said that he wants it to feel “the same but different” from its predecessors.
The Peaky Blinders creator was recently confirmed as joining the iconic franchise, signing on as the screenwriter for the next Bond film.
Few details about the project are known so far, although it was confirmed in June that Dune and Arrival filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will be directing the upcoming instalment. It will also mark the first of the 007 films to be released with Amazon MGM Studios in charge.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5’s Live Breakfast this morning (Friday August 1), Knight said that involvement in the franchise has “always been on my bucket list.” He added: “It’s fantastic to be invited to do it. I can’t wait to get started.”
He then shared how he found out about the project, saying that he was invited to meet producer Amy Pascal, but “didn’t know what it was about.”
“I very quickly discovered what it was about and became very excited and hopeful,” he shared. “And then the process is that you do some meetings, you discuss some ideas, and then you find out you’ve got it. I found out a while ago, but it was announced last night, which is great.”
When asked if he feels pressure to live up to expectations, he responded: “The way I look at it, you’ve just got to do what you do, do it as well as you can and then what else can you do?”
“I’m hoping that being a Bond fan for so many years, that will sort of be imbued into me and I’ll be able to produce something that’s the same but different and better and stronger and bolder,” he added.
Knight is currently producing the highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man. Over the spring, he also confirmed that a new Peaky Blinders series is in development and will be filmed in Birmingham.
He is also known for writing films such as Locke [2013], Spencer [2021] and Maria [2024], as well as television shows including Taboo, SAS: Rogue Heroes, A Thousand Blows, and See.
There is currently no official release date or title confirmed for the next Bond movie. Outlets including Variety have reported that the studio is eyeing a 2028 release for the film, which will be the 26th in the franchise and the follow-up to 2021’s No Time To Die.
It seems that the studio is still on the hunt for a new Bond, as Daniel Craig completed his run in the aforementioned 2021 film. That was his fifth appearance as the iconic character, following on from 2006’s Casino Royale, 2008’s Quantum of Solace, 2012’s Skyfall, and 2015’s Spectre.
Some of the most heavily speculated names to be taking on the role include Babygirl actor Harris Dickinson, Saltburn star Jacob Elordi, and Marvel actor Tom Holland.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, and Taron Egerton have been long-running fan favourites too. The latter, however, seemingly took himself out of the running in a recent interview, saying: “I don’t think I’m a good choice for it. I think I’m too messy for that.”
In March, long-serving producers of the films Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson stepped away from the creative process and handed over control to Amazon MGM Studios. The move ended over 60 years of the Broccoli family’s control of the Bond estate.
Many Bond fans have criticised the sale of the franchise, with some predicting that Amazon will “ruin” the series by over-saturating the market with “mediocre spin-offs”.
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