It was recently announced that Eon Productions has ceased creative control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon MGM Studios. This, in so many ways, opens up the possibilities for what the next instalment of the superspy could look like, as new personnel will likely shed a lot of the stylings and sensibilities of the previous decades. We’ve discussed who might play the lead role – a debate that never seems to run out of fuel – and we also examine who might step up to the director’s chair and perform the next theme song, respectively, here and here.
Of all aspects, though, perhaps the most fun will come with deciding the villain (or villains), given the freedom that the role entails. Will the producers go for a precise operator, like Mads Mikkelsen’s portrait of Le Chiffre? Or perhaps a brawny composition of bulk, similar to Oddjob and Dave Bautista’s Mr. Hinx? A wiser, more measured head (Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in his multiple incarnations, of course, comes to mind)? Or perhaps something entirely fresh and unexpected? This is whom we’ve shortlisted…
Daniel Kaluuya
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The headline name in Get Out and Nope, Daniel Kaluuya can often exhibit a deadpan look that might be beneficial for a cold-killing Bond nemesis. He has the robust build to handle one-on-one combat, and his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah shows he can take on roles that require a certain aura of authority.
Colin Farrell
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In his metamorphosis of a role in The Penguin, Colin Farrell has moved the parameters of television villain towards new ground and his take is now commonly cited as one of the small-screens greatest ever roles. We also know from his time in Saving Mr. Banks and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that he has a wide-spanning range when it comes to playing characters with a darker storyline. For us, he’s a clear favourite – but his availability might be hindered by his commitment to Gotham’s underbelly.
Joseph Quinn
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He’s just horrid as Emperor Geta, one half of the Roman rule in Gladiator II, and that bloodthirsty, off-the-rails (“THE GODS HAVE SPOOOOOOKEN!!!!”), easily irritable portrayal would make for a perfect aggressor to MI6. (The same could be applied to Fred Hechinger, who played Emperor Caracalla.)
Cillian Murphy
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If Christopher Nolan becomes the director, which many feel is a sure thing, then the chances are in favour of Cillian Murphy, a long-time Nolan favourite, being involved somehow. Another from the Batman universe, he’s played Scarecrow and is also fairly unlikeable in Inception, but it’s his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer that makes one believe he can be a large-scale schemer. Perhaps this would lean more into the Christoph Waltz school of villain.
Willem Dafoe
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In many roles he touches, Willem Dafoe, perhaps the elder statesman of this list, manages to execute the creepy and the off-kilter: Green Goblin; Jopling, the enforcer in The Grand Budapest Hotel; heck, he’s even jumped into a fair amount of horror, goth and related genres lately, as in Poor Things and Nosferatu. The intense stare and sharp-toothed smile add those final killer details.
Donald Glover
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In The Martian, he plays the offbeat astrodynamicist Rich Purnell – a character that can, in certain ways, draw comparisons to GoldenEye’s Boris Grishenko. His sheeny cadence as a young Lando Calrissian might be as equally as smooth as Javier Bardem’s in his go as Raoul Silva. As a contemporary multi-hyphenate, he definitely has the versatile skillset to give cat-stroking villains a modern-day look. With such factors considered, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Atlanta star become the new face of evil in the franchise.
Oscar Isaac
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Even though Oscar Isaac is known for admirable roles such as Poe Dameron in Star Wars and Dune’s Duke Leto Atreides – essentially good-guy characters – he’s still able to put out really eerie and menacing performances. The key one that springs to mind is the manipulative multibillionaire scientist, Nathan, in Ex Machina, shortly followed by Standard Gabriel in Drive; though the latter was a brief cameo, there was always a feeling he could explode at any second (and, in a way, he kinda did).
Barry Keoghan
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Barry Keoghan set the internet ablaze when he briefly appeared as the Joker towards the end of The Batman. From just that, you know he can pull out the mannerisms and ticks required of a fictional arch-enemy, and even in films like The Banshees of Inisherin you can never quite tell what’s going on up there – a trait perhaps essential for being a mastermind.
Tom Hardy
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Could this be one of film culture’s greatest turnarounds? For years, the Venom actor has been a lead rumour for 007, but such links have dwindled of late due to age. However, there’s not really a cut-off point for antagonists in the Bond series, so why can’t Hardy go from potential hero to potential bad guy? Again, there’s the Nolan link, and we really wouldn’t mind him going old-school henchman here (he was Bane, after all). Hardy should consider it, were the opportunity to arise – the villain always has the most fun.
Cate Blanchett
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Before you feel like objecting, invest an evening in watching Cate Blanchett’s turnout as the title character in Tár – a discomforting, nuanced portrayal of how power can be used for abuse – and then we can resume the conversation.
Want more Bond rumours? Here’s who might sing the next 007 theme song…
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