'Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight to pen script for next James Bond film

Los Angeles, Aug 1 (PTI) Steven Knight, the writer and creator of popular Netflix series "Peaky Blinders", will be penning the script for the new James Bond movie.

Hollywood banner Amazon MGM Studios recently roped in filmmaker Denis Villeneuve of "Dune" fame to direct the latest instalment of the long-running spy franchise.

The project will be the first film from Amazon since the banner bought ‘MGM Studios’ in 2022.

Tanya Lapointe, Villeneuve’s wife and creative partner, will serve as an executive producer. Amy Pascal and David Heyman will be producing the movie.

According to entertainment news outlet The Hollywood Reporter, Knight's hiring marks the end of a chapter for the Bond movies, especially when it comes to the writers.

As a writer, Knight has penned some of the most critically-acclaimed titles of recent times -- "Eastern Promises", "Locke", "Allied", "Spencer" and "Maria".

Actor Daniel Craig played James Bond for the last time in 2021's "No Time To Die", which was also the final Bond film written by longtime writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. They had been working on the series since Pierce Brosnan-led "The World Is Not Enough" in 1999.

With Villeneuve stepping in as director and Steven Knight onboard as writer for the latest chapter in one of cinema’s longest-running franchises, anticipation is mounting over who will take on the iconic role of the spy with a licence to kill.

Craig portrayed 007 in five films, beginning with 2006’s “Casino Royale”, followed by “Quantum of Solace” (2008), “Skyfall” (2012), “Spectre” (2015) and “No Time To Die”.

Amazon acquired MGM in 2022 and gained the rights to distribute all future James Bond films.

However, progress stalled for some time due to a standoff between Amazon executives and longtime Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

In February this year, Amazon MGM Studios, Wilson and Broccoli formed a new joint venture that allowed them to co-own James Bond intellectual property rights.

However, Amazon MGM took the creative control of the franchise. PTI RB RB RB