How has fandom reacted to the appointment of Denis Villeneuve?

Seemingly out of nowhere, Amazon MGM Studios announced Denis Villeneuve as the director of the next James Bond film (we're calling it Bond 26 until told otherwise) in late June. How has fandom reacted to the appointment and what are the expectations of what he can or will bring to reboot the franchise with an all-new production team and cast? We also look back at Villeneuve's catalog of work to see if we can glean any clues as to what he might bring to Bond. (Note: This episode was recorded before the announcement of Steven Knight writing the script)

The recording took place on June 27th, 2025 in the USA and UK.

James Page is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria magazine

Sean Longmore shares his graphic design work @ThatTallGinger

Dr. Lisa Funnell is an award-winning author and James Bond academic

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2025

How different could James Bond be under the new leadership?

Before many of us had fully processed the news that Broccoli & Wilson were stepping away from the franchise, this week Amazon MGM Studios dropped the bombshell that Amy Pascal and David Heyman would produce the next film - the first to not have a Broccoli name attached. We discuss the merits of the two new producers and what they might bring to Bond 26 (if we are still calling it that?) and review some of Pascal's creative feedback on the scripts when she was leading Sony Pictures through most of the Daniel Craig era. Do we agree with her comments in retrospect? Could we have enjoyed better movies if she had been listened to? We also poke around the areas of the new production that may be up for grabs given EON Productions will not have day to day involvement anymore, and place bets on when the next big news will break.

The recording took place on March 27th, 2025 in the USA and UK.

James Page is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria magazine

Sean Longmore shares his graphic design work @ThatTallGinger

Dr. Lisa Funnell is an award-winning author and James Bond academic

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2025

What does the Amazon take-over mean to the franchise and fandom?

A tectonic shift in the James Bond power structure shook the film world and fanbase on Thursday when Amazon announced they had inked a deal to take over creative control of the 007 films from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Their price? $1 billion according to reports. With EON out of the picture, what does the immediate and long term future of the franchise look like? We gather the panel to discuss their instant reactions as well as cast an eye further down the road as the ripples from this impact will take a while to reach distant shores.

The recording took place on February 21st, 2025 in the USA and UK.

James Page is a co-founder of MI6-HQ.com and the magazine MI6 Confidential

Phil Nobile Jr is editor of Fangoria magazine

Sean Longmore shares his graphic design work @ThatTallGinger

Dr. Lisa Funnell is an award-winning author and James Bond academic

Ben Eslinger is co-host of the Central Intelligence Podcast

This podcast is copyright Pretitles LLC © 2025