Despite all the rumors surrounding the next Bond, Daniel Craig’s already locked in to lead Bond 25, which will be his fifth turn as 007. What isn’t set in stone, however, is the identity of his next nemesis. Back in December though, an exciting name became a frontrunner for the position: Bohemian Rhapsody‘s Rami Malek. And now, the actor’s responded to the rumors, but he’s unfortunately keeping mum about everything.
Speaking to ET, Malek was asked if he’ll be the next Bond villain. His reply gave nothing away though, except that it would be a dream role of his, saying that he has hopes of ticking the opportunity off his list.
“We’ll have to see about that. It would be nice to play a villain, that would be another dream role for me. I’ve got to play so many great ones so far so who knows. I’m keeping tight-lipped.”
It’s interesting that Malek’s playing so coy here, as the latest report on the topic claimed that he was out of the window now as Bond 25‘s production clashed with work on the final season of Mr. Robot. However, the star’s reluctance to say much to ET suggests that negotiations are still going on. EON and director Cary Fukunaga must really want him in their movie, too, as his acclaimed performance as Freddie Mercury has definitely made him a much in-demand talent in Hollywood.
While we can’t say for sure who the villain of the piece will be, it’s practically been confirmed that several players from 2015’s Spectre will return for Bond 25. Those would be MI6 gang M (Ralph Fiennes), Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw), as well as the spy’s latest love interest Madeline Swann (Lea Seydoux), who James left the secret service to ride off into the sunset with at the end of the previous film.
With Bond 25 said to be going in front of cameras in February, expect some more concrete casting news to appear pretty soon. And with any luck, the producers will find a way to snag Malek as the villain.