The movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, known for Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the recent Dune trilogy starring Timothée Chalamet.

"Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007," the French-Canadian director said last year. "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."

He added: "I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour."

Bond 26 will be written by Steven Knight, known for TV series such as Peaky Blinders and House of Guinness, and films including Burnt, Spencer, Locke and The Girl in the Spider's Web.

Knight has said it had always been on his "bucket list" to write a Bond film, adding that he felt he was "doing my duty for King and country" by joining the franchise.

He told the BBC he planned to "write the character, not the actor", adding: "The thing with Bond is it's its own universe and franchise. So there are certain rules.

"Obviously you have to move it along, but I love where it sits. I love that it's British. I love that it's not DC or Marvel... So I feel a responsibility to the text."

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