James Bond 25 Still Wants Rami Malek To Play Villain, Other Casting Details Revealed

It has been rumoured for some time now that Mr. Robot star Rami Malek, who recently won an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, would play the main villain in the upcoming 25th James Bond movie. Now, a report from Variety claims producers are still looking at Malek for the role, while the story also has other interesting casting details yet to be confirmed.

Starting with Malek, Variety's report says there is "renewed interest" in hiring Malek to play the villain. Previously it was thought that Malek may not be able to play the part due to scheduling conflicts related to shooting the final season of Mr. Robot. Producers have reportedly met with other actors to play the role, but Malek has always been the top choice, apparently. The report doesn't say what other actors may be in consideration for the role.

Outside of the villain casting, the Variety report says producers are searching to fill three more roles, two of which are expected to be played by women. One is a new MI6 agent and the other is a friend to James Bond not unlike Olga Kurylenko's character in Quantum of Solace. Variety reported that producers are going through "chemistry reads" with James Bond actor Daniel Craig to find the best actresses to play the roles. "These two characters will spend the most amount of time with him on screen," the report said.

Another role producers are looking for is an American CIA agent likened to Jeffrey Wright's character in previous movies. Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods, The Big Short) is reportedly the top choice to play the CIA agent. Magnussen recently appeared in Bond 25 writer-director Cary Fukunaga's Netflix show Maniac.

Also in the report it's claimed that Fukunaga submitted his latest draft at the start of 2019. It contained no significant changes, despite rumours of big changes, according to Variety. The site added that Craig and other producers were excited by Fukunaga's latest draft.

As for what we do know concretely about Bond 25, it's confirmed that Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Lea Seydoux are coming back to reprise their roles. The movie is scheduled to start shooting sometime this Spring and hit theatres in April 2020.

2015's Spectre is the latest James Bond film. It was a gigantic commercial success, making around $880 million worldwide at the box office. The upcoming 25th film will be the final one starring Craig as the British super-spy.