Former Bond Girl, Lea Seydoux has shared her support for filmmaker Denis Villeneuve taking over the reins to direct the next ‘James Bond’ franchise.Seydoux, who played Madeleine Swann opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond, reflected on her connection to the long-running spy franchise and her reaction to its acquisition under Amazon MGM. While admitting that she initially felt uncertain about the franchise changing hands, Variety quoted her saying, “I was a bit sad when I heard that it was sold. But now that it’s Denis, I was like, ‘Oh, at least it’s him, so it will be cinema.'”Seydoux appeared in several Bond films during Craig’s long run as the British spy. Besides playing his love interest, she also went on to play his partner for whom he sacrifices his life to save, thus closing the chapter of the franchise.Praising Villeneuve further, Seydoux described the director as deeply knowledgeable and passionate about filmmaking. “He’s super cultured, he knows so much about cinema, but not only cinema,” she said.Villeneuve, known for directing films such as ‘Dune’ and ‘Blade Runner 2049’, is set to helm the next chapter of the James Bond franchise as the iconic spy series enters a new era. As per the latest reports, actors including Timothee Chalamet, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, all of whom have reportedly emerged as frontrunners. Other actors rumoured to be in contention include Theo James, Tom Francis, Regé-Jean Page, Josh O’Connor and Henry Cavill, though no official casting announcement has been made yet. Reports suggest that the studios are looking for a younger actor to possibly play the leading man in the franchise, for about 4 more films. Nina Gold officially began casting for the film last month.
