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.

"Prisoners," "Sicario" and "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve has signed on to helm Amazon MGM Studios' next James Bond adventure.

For a moment, it seemed like James Bond had become the enemy of the people. I’m February, Amazon MGM Studios announced it had acquired the character's rights from the Broccoli family of producers, who had overseen the superspy for most the hero's cinematic lifespan.