Last month it was reported that Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek had been lined up to play the villain in Bond 25, only to encounter scheduling conflicts with the final season of Mr. Robot after production on 007’s next adventure was pushed back to early 2019.
Well, speaking to ET, Malek – who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor last night for his role as Freddie Mercury – was asked about the rumours linking him to the Bond movie, although he remained coy about whether there was any truth to it.
“We’ll have to see about that – it would be nice to play a villain, that would be another dream role for me,” said Malek. “I’ve got to play so many great ones so far so who knows. I’m keeping tight-lipped.”
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It’s not clear whether Malek was under consideration for the role under original director Danny Boyle or his replacement Cary Fukunaga, and so it’s entirely possible that he’d no longer be in the running for the part regardless of his Mr. Robot commitments. That being said, he’s certainly hot property at present, and would make an interesting choice as 007’s next adversary. We’ll likely find out one way or another soon enough.
Bond 25 is set for release on February 14th 2020 and features the returning Daniel Craig (James Bond), Lea Seydoux (Madeleine Swann), Ben Whishaw (Q), Ralph Fiennes (M) and Naomie Harris (Moneypenny).
Originally published January 7, 2019. Updated December 5, 2022.
