Denis Villeneuve Teases James Bond Progress at LACMA Art + Film Gala: ‘I’m Having a Great Time’

Villeneuve and artist Vija Celmins were feted at the gala, which raised nearly $7 million, setting a new record

When Denis Villeneuve arrived at LACMA on Saturday night, his black Gucci tuxedo made him look more like James Bond than a director who’s spent the last decade in the desert of Arrakis. Perhaps that’s fitting since the filmmaker is currently putting the final touches on the 70mm Imax print of “Dune: Part Three” while simultaneously starting work on his Bond movie.

“It’s a very personal film and a project that is very close to my heart,” Villeneuve told Variety about wrapping up his “Dune” trilogy. “It’s also the project that is the completion of 10 years of work in the deep desert. I can just say that it has been a privilege of a lifetime to spend, and I enjoy every minute of it.”

On the topic of James Bond, news broke Friday that Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are inching closer to selecting the new 007, with finalists including Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult, Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden.

On the red carpet, Villeneuve politely declined to comment about the casting speculation.

“I should not comment right now because every word I’m going to say is going to be scrutinized,” Villeneuve said. “I would just say that I’m having a great time.”

But inside the gala, he was ready to make some news. “For many years, LACMA has been a temple for me. Tonight feels like home, and to express my gratitude. With the blessing of my new friends at Amazon, I will reveal to you tonight who will be the next James Bond,” Villeneuve began, causing an audible stir in the crowd.

“The actor who will play the next James Bond is…” Villeneuve continued, pausing dramatically.

“And I will stop right now because Amy Pascal is about to have a heart attack,” he said, laughing. (Yes, the Canadian director was only joking.)

Read on for more from Villeneuve’s remarks and a peek inside the high-fashion gala.

• Nicole Kidman and Denis Villeneuve

  

  Nicole Kidman admitted that she was sweating bullets as she prepared to present to Denis Villeneuve.

  “I’m just going to disclose I have sweaty armpits,” Kidman, wearing Chanel, joked. “Let’s keep it real here.”

  Then, Kidman revealed that she’d traveled 15 hours from Australia (overnight!) to make the event because she’s such an admirer of Villeneuve — even though they haven’t worked together yet.

  “About six years ago, I made a commercial for a little company called AMC Theaters,” Kidman said. “So much of what inspired me to be a part of that campaign and to champion the importance of returning to cinemas was the opportunity to experience films from the likes of tonight’s honoree, Denis Villeneuve.”

• Nicole Kidman

  

  Despite the fact that Kidman and Villeneuve had never really met before Saturday night, the Oscar winner said she feels like she’s gotten to know “the deepest parts” of Villeneuve through his films.

  “That is what extraordinary filmmakers do. They let you in. They reveal themselves to us through their work,” Kidman said. “They invite you into their imaginations, into their dreams, into their questions, and into their fears.”

  She continued: “I feel like that transcends anything that needs an introduction, because his films explore the great mysteries of our existence: time, memory, identity, destiny, the things we cannot explain, and the possibility that there is something that we do not understand. That we will never understand.” 

  Kidman also recalled her experience watching an 11 p.m. screening of “Dune” at her local cinema and plans to return to the theater for “Dune: Part Three” when it hits theaters on Dec. 18.

  “I will always be one of your audience,” she said.

• 

  Onstage, Denis Villeneuve reflected on a fortuitous visit to LACMA while he was preparing to film 2016’s “Arrival.”  

  “I was looking for guidance. Then I walk into the James Turrell exhibition … I watched people standing in a room in front of a brilliantly colored light in silence and in awe. And then I thought, ‘OK, I know how to direct the film now.'”

  Villeneuve shared that he discovered the power of images early in life. “My first contact with the English language as a boy in Quebec was through cinema,” he explained. “I didn’t understand the words, so I watched the images, and I imagined what the characters were saying.”

• Timothée Chalamet, Tanya Lapointe, Denis Villeneuve and Nicole Kidman

  

  In addition to the support from his “Dune” star Timothée Chalamet and Kidman, Villeneuve was also saluted in a clip reel that included filmmakers Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Chloé Zhao, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, composer Hans Zimmer and producer Mary Parent.

  “When I was 12, all my friends were raving about hockey, and all I cared was about Steven Spielberg,” Villeneuve said. “He became my hero. Steven is the reason I’m standing here today, and I’m lucky enough now to call him a friend.

  “Then came James Cameron,” Villeneuve continued. “These are titans. James has always been ahead of his time, and I hope he was wrong when he predicted Skynet, the self-aware artificial intelligence Terminator. These friendships meant the world to me because I’ve always felt isolated as a director in my own bubble.”

  He saluted Zhao, Cuarón and Iñárritu as “three phenomenal artists pushing the boundaries of cinematic expression in the most original ways.”

  Villeneuve also thanked his frequent collaborators and his crews. “It takes many people to bring cinema to life. I want to honor their contribution in making my dreams come to life on screen,” he said.
   

• Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve

  

  At the heart of each of Villeneuve’s films, there’s a question that he seeks to answer. “Dune Part Three,” Villeneuve (seen here with his wife and producing partner Tanya Lapointe) centers on Chalamet’s Paul and Zendaya’s Chani fighting to give their children a better world than the one they were given.

  “We are at the crossroads, asking what defines a human being and what human expression is worth,” Villeneuve said. “Every parent on Earth is a little worried about the world our children will enter it.” 

  “For a filmmaker today, it is very real. I have a choice. I can create something with a prompt,” Villeneuve said, referencing the advent of AI tools. “Or I can go into the desert with actors, with a crew, and go on a real adventure where I learn about life and become better at my craft. Those are two different things.”

  Even though one of those options is “more expensive than the other,” Villeneuve cracked, he firmly believes that the process of filmmaking is more important than the result. 

  “The process is how the human experience acquires its meaning,” Villeneuve said. “In this moment in time, it is more important than ever that human beings keep making art together. That is the heritage I want to leave to my children.”

• Anya Taylor-Joy and Denis Villeneuve

  

  Anya Taylor-Joy dropped by the gala to support her “Dune: Part Three” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. What makes Villeneuve unique? 

  “It’s the vision,” Taylor-Joy said. “But it’s also the fact that when you’re working with him, he makes you feel that you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. He never makes anybody feel small, and he leads with such love and conviction, and I adore him.”

• Anya Taylor-Joy

  

  Anya Taylor-Joy, looking like a piece of art in archival Pierre Cardin, also weighed in on Villeneuve’s Bond movie.

  “I’m excited to see what he’s going to do with all the fight sequences. I think he got a taste of it on ‘Dune,’ and I think he might be really, really good at it,” Taylor-Joy said.

  The actress has also co-starred with four of the five reported finalists — Robert Pattinson (in “Dune”), Nicholas Hoult (“The Menu”), Josh O’Connor (“Emma”) and Callum Turner (“Emma”).

  “I’ve been very lucky with my older brothers in film,” Taylor-Joy added. “They are delightful. They have taken very good care of me, and they’re all wonderful to watch on screen. So I’m excited to see who it’s going to be.”

• Viola Davis and Julius Tennon

  

  Viola Davis — here with Julius Tennon, both in Gucci — recalled working with Villeneuve on 2013’s “Prisoners.” 

  “Denis is one of the greatest directors I’ve ever worked with,” the Oscar winner said. “My favorite thing is when he loved a take and he said ‘Perfect,’ but in a French accent. I would say, ‘Say it again, Denis.'”

  For her next act, Davis will star in “The Children of Blood and Bone,” reuniting with “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood and star Thuso Mbedu. “She’s an extraordinary talent,” Davis said. “I think this is going to be her time.”

• Jordan Firstman

  

  “Club Kid” filmmaker Jordan Firstman told Variety he most admires Villeneuve’s “restraint” as a director.

  “He really knows how to hold back and when to go for it and let you ride the worm,” Firstman, wearing Ferragamo, said. “That’s what I tell all my students.”

  As Villeneuve pivots to the Bond franchise, Firstman has a pitch: “I want to be a Bond gay. Like, instead of the Bond girls, I think they should make them gay guys.”

• Benito Skinner

  

  Benito Skinner, wearing ERL, joked that he was on a mission to figure out who Villeneuve chose to play the new 007. 

  “He must be so over it, like I have to stop fucking reading about it. We gotta just pick it. Are we close? I’m gonna ask him tonight,” Skinner said, laughing. (For the record, he’d like to play Bond’s tech genius, Q. “I’m like, use that pen. It’s a gun.”)

  Why does Skinner admire Villeneuve? 

  “He builds worlds so beautifully,” Skinner said. “We don’t get that anymore. We need blockbusters. We need butts in seats at AMC the Grove. He’s just a true visionary, and we don’t have many, and that scares me. Even if [the world] is as insane as ‘Dune,’ you still feel the humanity in it.”

• Jessica Williams

  

  Jessica Williams (sparkling in Phan Huy) chose “Arrival” as her favorite Villeneuve film. 

  “I just really liked the way people responded to aliens,” Williams said. “People were so overwhelmed with it, and I thought that was a really cool take.”

  As a fan of the filmmaker, the “Shrinking” star quickly conjured a pitch to join his Bond movie.

  “I’d be a really cool-ass logistics person. I feel like I’d be really good in the Bond office,” she said. “I play a lot of parts where I’m like a lady that knows stuff, and I’d like to be a lady that knows stuff in that universe.”

• Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvó

  

  “La Bola Negra” filmmakers Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvó (aka Los Javis), both in Gucci, said Villeneuve’s 2010 film “Incendies” was a key reference to their 2023 series “La Mesías.”

  “He’s one of the best directors,” Ambrossi said, noting the innovative ways Villeneuve uses music and stages his scenes. 

  Calvó added: “He’s so full of idea and the way he works with actors — with the small parts [or] with the big parts, like the stars — it’s amazing. He’s a master.”

• Ashley Park, Anthony Ramos and Alex Garcia

  

  Ashley Park — seen here with Anthony Ramos and Alex Garcia and wearing Prabal Gurung — said her favorite Villeneuve projects are the “Dune” movies and “Sicario.”

  “Watching that film really shook me in a lot of different ways,” the “Emily in Paris” star said about “Sicario.”

• Denis Villeneuve, Nicole Kidman, Vija Celmins and Michael Govan

  

  Vija Celmins (seen here with fellow honoree Denis Villeneuve, presenter Nicole Kidman and LACMA CEO Michael Govan, CEO) delivered a charming acceptance speech.

  “You guys are just crazy party people,” Celmins said, as the well-heeled crowd burst into laughter.

  The recognition from LACMA is special, Celmins explained, because “Los Angeles had a big influence on me. I had never lived next to the ocean, and I have never seen the land, and it sort of crept into my work.”

• Rachel Kushner, Vija Celmins and Michael Govan

  

  After Rachel Kushner presented the award to Vija Celmins, the pair posed with LACMA CEO Michael Govan.

• Eva Chow, Michael Govan and Timothée Chalamet

  

  During the program, Art+Film Gala co-chair Eva Chow announced she’d be stepping down from her post after 15 years.

  “Together, we have raised close to $60 million for LACMA. That is something we can all be incredibly proud of,” Chow said. (She co-chairs the event with Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio.)

  “It is difficult to put 15 years of memories, friendship, experiences into a few words,” Chow added. “To have started with an idea and to see it grow into one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated traditions has been one of great privileges of my life. I leave this chapter with tremendous pride, wonderful memories, and above all gratitude.”

• Sienna Miller, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek Pinault

  

  Sienna Miller smiles alongside Kering board chairman François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek Pinault. Gucci has been a presenting sponsor of the gala since its inception in 2011.

• Salma Hayek Pinault

  

  Salma Hayek Pinault looks red hot in Gucci.

• Salma Hayek Pinault, Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro

  

  Salma Hayek chats with Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro inside the gala.

• Monica Barbaro

  

  Monica Barbaro stuns in Gucci.

• Andrew Garfield

  

  Andrew Garfield cuts a striking figure in Gucci.

• Kim Kardashian

  

  Kim Kardashian sparkles in Gucci.

• Kylie Jenner

  

  Kylie Jenner serves a sultry look in Ashi Studio.

• Alix Earle

  

  Alix Earle dazzles in Gucci.

• Rosé

  

  Rosé looks chic in Saint Laurent.

• Odessa A’zion

  

  Odessa A’zion makes a statement in a ruby-red Charles & Ron x Maison Privée coat.

• Guitarricadelafuente

  

  “La Bola Negra” star Guitarricadelafuente smiles for photographers on the carpet.

• Parker Posey

  

  “Wild Horse Nine” star Parker Posey dazzles in Gucci.

• Malin Akerman

  

  “The Hunting Wives” star Malin Akerman strikes a pose in Saint Laurent.

• Brittany Snow

  

  “The Hunting Wives” star Brittany Snow looks pretty in pink Ralph Lauren.

• Quinta Brunson and Chris Perfetti

  

  “Abbott Elementary” stars Quinta Brunson and Chris Perfetti pose for photographers.

• Quinta Brunson

  

  Quinta Brunson stuns in Gucci.

• Paris Hilton

  

  Paris Hilton shimmers in Jenny Packham.

• Anderson .Paak

  

  Anderson .Paak smiles for photographers on the carpet.

• Curry Barker

  

  “Obsession” filmmaker Curry Barker in Gucci.

• Sarah Paulson

  

  Sarah Paulson strikes a pose in Gucci.

• Jordyn Woods-Towns

  

  Jordyn Woods-Towns shimmers in Gucci.

• Alex Consani

  

  Alex Consani brings the drama in Gucci.

• Madelaine Petsch

  

  Madelaine Petsch stuns in Georges Hobeika.

• Madelyn Cline

  

  Madelyn Cline poses for photographers.

• Julia Garner

  

  Julia Garner looks chic in custom Loewe.

• Alia Shawkat

  

  Alia Shawkat (in Gucci) poses for photographers on the carpet.

• Jennifer Tilly

  

  Jennifer Tilly sparkles on the red carpet.

• Vittoria Ceretti

  

  Vittoria Ceretti cuts a classic figure in Gucci.

• David Ward and Irmelin DiCaprio

  

  David Ward and Irmelin DiCaprio smile for photographers inside the gala.

• Tyriq Withers and Quenlin Blackwell

  

  Tyriq Withers and Quenlin Blackwell (both in Gucci) buddy up inside the gala.

• Jerry Bruckheimer and Olivia Munn

  

  Jerry Bruckheimer and Olivia Munn (in archival Mugler) pose inside the gala. 

• Elsa Hosk, Candice Swanepoel, Amber Valletta and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

  

  Supermodels Elsa Hosk, Candice Swanepoel, Amber Valletta and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stun in Gucci.

• Rosé

  

  Rosé closes the evening with a rocking four-song set, including the live debut of her single “New Trick,” followed by “Number One Girl,” a cover of The Killers’ “Read My Mind” and her smash hit “APT.”