Steven Knight Describes James Bond Writing Gig As “Bucket List” Project In First Interview Since Announcement

Zac Ntim

Fri, August 1, 2025 at 10:44 AM UTC

2 min read

Steven Knight has been announced as the writer for Amazon's first James Bond film, expressing excitement and gratitude for the opportunity.
Knight will be writing the screenplay for Denis Villeneuve to direct, with Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing the film.
Despite rumors about potential lead actors, the focus has been on securing a writer, with Knight ultimately being chosen after meeting with Villeneuve.

Steven Knight was announced as the writer of Amazon's first James Bond flick on Thursday, and this morning, the Peaky Blinders creator gave his first reaction to landing the gig on BBC Radio.

"It has always been on my bucket list, and it's fantastic to be invited to do it. I can't wait to get started," Knight said.

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"I'm hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that's the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder."

Knight will be writing the screenplay for Denis Villeneuve to direct; however, the writer would not be drawn on who might star as 007.

"That is a very, very good question, and one I can't give you the answer to," Knight said when quizzed by BBC Radio.

Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing the film, and Tanya Lapointe will executive produce. While there have been rumors about who could potentially play the coveted lead role, sources told us the only focus in recent weeks has been who would write the script, with a number of meetings taking place with potential candidates.

In recent weeks, Knight was said to have been the No. 1 target, but a final sign-off could not be given until he met with Villeneuve, who is currently filming the next Dune film. That meeting took place last week, with Villeneuve fully on board for Knight to get the job.

Knight, is the creator, executive producer and writer of BAFTA-winning series Peaky Blinders , starring Cillian Murphy, as well as series including the Emmy-nominated Taboo (BBC/FX) and See (Apple TV+), the BAFTA-nominated SAS Rogue Heroes (BBC), as well as A Thousand Blows (Disney+), This Town (BBC), The Veil (FX) and All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix). He had previously been attached to write a new Star Wars feature but dropped out in October 2024 .

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