It was the hiring decision made in fanboy heaven. Amazon MGM Studios selected Canadian director Denis Villeneuve as the filmmaker to helm the next installment of the James Bond franchise - the first with a new lead as 007.

Denis Villeneuve, the visionary behind “Dune” and “Arrival”, is officially set to direct the next James Bond film, unofficially titled 26.

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 are speeding up.