Steven Knight says next Bond film will be ‘better, stronger and bolder’

The Peaky Blinders creator will write the script for Denis Villeneuve’s film

Steven Knight has said he hopes to make the next James Bond movie “better, stronger and bolder”.

It was announced yesterday that the Peaky Blinders creator, 65, will write the script for Denis Villeneuve’s film.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Knight said writing a Bond film “has always been on my bucket list.”

“It's fantastic to be invited to do it - I can't wait to get started,” he added. "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."

However, he would not be drawn on which actor might replace Daniel Craig in the role of 007.

Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson has long been the rumored frontrunner. Still, reports in June suggested that Dune director Villeneuve favors a younger leading man and is considering Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will write the next James Bond movie (Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

When asked about the identity of the next Bond, Knight responded: "That is a very, very good question, and one I can't give you the answer to."

As well as creating the hit Birmingham-set gangster series Peaky Blinders, Knight is also known for writing films such as Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, and Locke.

His most recent screenplay to be produced was Maria, the biopic of opera singer Maria Callas, which starred Angelina Jolie and was directed by Pablo Larraín.

The next Bond film will be the first after the franchise changed hands with Amazon MGM taking full creative control by striking a deal with long-time stewards Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It will be overseen by producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.

Knight revealed that yesterday’s announcement came at the end of a lengthy selection process.

“I was invited to a meeting with Amy Pascal, didn't know what it was about, and very quickly discovered what it was about and became very, very excited and hopeful,” he recalled.

“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.”

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When he was confirmed as the film’s director, Villeneuve said: “Some of my earliest moviegoing memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory.”

The film is not expected to be released until 2028.