Helen Bushby
Culture reporter
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Steven Knight told the BBC writing Bond “has always been on my bucket list”
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will write the forthcoming James Bond film, Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed.
The movie, which will be directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve, is currently in development and being overseen by the studio after long-serving masterminds Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stood down in February.
Knight told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: “It has always been on my bucket list and it’s fantastic to be invited to do it – I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that’s the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder,” he added.
However, Knight did not shed any light on which actor might portray 007 in the next film.
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Daniel Craig played James Bond in five successful films
Daniel Craig stepped down from the role in 2021 after starring in five Bond films, and there has been much speculation over who will replace him.
British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton have been rumoured as frontrunners for the part, while Irish actor Paul Mescal’s name has also been thrown into the mix.
When asked about it, Knight said: “That is a very, very good question, and one I can’t give you the answer to.”
He did not elaborate as to whether this was because he does not know, or he is not allowed to reveal who it is, or because the decision hasn’t been made yet.
Knight is arguably most well-known for writing the Bafta-winning BBC One drama Peaky Blinders, starring Cillian Murphy, set in the streets of post-World War One Birmingham, which ran for six series and is also being made into a Netflix film.
He was Oscar-nominated in 2004 for Dirty Pretty Things, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou, and wrote and created 2024 BBC One series This Town, set in 70s and 80s Coventry, which won a Royal Television Society award.
His other work also includes 2021’s Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
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The new Bond director Denis Villeneuve is known for the Dune franchise, Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival
The most recent Bond film, 2021’s No Time to Die, was written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Speaking about his selection process for the latest film, Knight said: “I was invited to a meeting with [producer] Amy Pascal, didn’t know what it was about, and very quickly discovered what it was about and became very, very excited and hopeful.
“And then a process is followed where you do some meetings, you discuss some ideas, and then you find out you’ve got it.
“So I found out a while ago but it was announced last night, which is great.”
He agreed it was a “high pressure” job but said “you’ve just got to do what you do, do it as well as you can.”
The latest Bond film is being produced by Pascal and David Heyman, and Hollywood trade publication Variety has suggested it could be released in 2028.