A report in Variety said the "Dune" filmmaker also beat out Edgar Wright, Edward Berger, Jonathan Nolan, and Paul King for the job.

Denis Villeneuve is going from Dune to 007. The filmmaker has been tapped to direct the next James Bond movie, the first from Amazon MGM Studios. Tanya Lapointe, Villeneuve’s artistic partner and wife, will serve as an executive producer, along with Villeneuve. As previously announced, Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers.

In the 50-plus years of James Bond, the wait between films has never gone longer than six years. The next entry, and first since Daniel Craig’s dramatic exit, may test that — but things