James Bond director Denis Villeneuve has teased fans about the announcement of the next 007.

The Dune moviemaker will step behind the camera to take charge of the next Bond film – the first to be released under the full control of Amazon MGM Studios.

And producers are believed to be on the verge of announcing which actor will take over from Daniel Craig.

During an appearance at the LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time), Villeneuve was honoured for his contribution to cinema and joked about his latest project.

Closing his speech he said “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”.

“The new James Bond is … and I will stop right now because [Bond producer] Amy Pascal is about to have a heart attack. Thank you very much,” he said.

Rumours suggest Bond producers have narrowed the shortlist of actors to three hopefuls – Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor.

However, it has since been reported that Hollywood stars Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult – who have starred as Batman and Lex Luthor for DC Studios – have both auditioned for the role.

News of Pattinson and Hoult’s auditions came as a surprise as it was recently claimed that O’Connor had secured the role after successfully negotiating the final stages of the auditions with Amazon MGM Studios.

Pascal has previously insisted the new 007 will be revealed to film fans by the end of 2026.