Fresh off his recent Oscar win for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek is reportedly in “final negotiations” to star opposite Daniel Craig as the villain in the upcoming Bond 25.
Back in December, Variety reported that Malek was being eyed for the gig in 007’s next adventure, but that his schedule on the last season of Mr. Robot made it unlikely that he could accept the job. Nonetheless, Collider now claims to have heard it from reliable sources that the actor’s agency has managed to negotiate a shooting schedule which can accommodate both productions. Though the deal isn’t final quite yet, it’s expected that an agreement will soon be reached. In fact, the report alleges that both sides of the negotiation were simply waiting to see whether Malek would take the Academy Award, since this raises his quote.
Should Malek land the part, he’ll be joining such returning players such as Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris in what’s set to be the last chapter in Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond. Though details on Malek’s role remain vague, it’s rumored that the villain will be a blind man. Interestingly, Wonder Woman actor Saïd Taghmaoui also mentioned last year that he was under consideration to play the villain back when Danny Boyle was still attached to the project, and since Taghmaoui is of Moroccan descent and Malek is of Egyptian heritage, this implies that the script calls for a North African antagonist.
In any case, there’ll be plenty of time for further details before Bond 25 completes its journey to theaters on April 8th, 2020, and brings the Daniel Craig era to a close.