(UTV|COLOMBO) – Fresh off his Best Actor win for playing Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Mr. Robot’ star Rami Malek is reportedly in the final stages of locking down the villain role in the 25th James Bond movie.
Malek addressed the rumors last month, telling Entertainment Tonight that playing a ‘Bond’ villain would be a “dream role.” While he warned that he had to keep “tight, tight lips” about the details, he said he would “absolutely take the role. ““It would be nice to play a villain,” Malek said.
The film, whose working title was revealed last month to be ‘Shatterhand’, marks Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007. Maniac creator Cary Fukunaga will serve as writer-director, and regulars Léa Seydouz, Naomi Harris, and Ralph Fiennes will return to the series. Game Night’s Billy Magnussen, who worked with Fukunaga on Maniac, is reportedly also in talks to play a CIA agent.
Guntram Shatterhand is an alias used by iconic Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was played most recently by Christoph Waltz in 2015’s ‘Spectre’. If Malek is the new film’s villain and the movie is named for Blofeld, Malek could be taking over the role from Waltz – or playing another bad guy entirely.Lupita Nyong’o was initially reported to be in talks for the role of the next Bond girl, but according to Deadline, the ‘Black Panther’ star and Malek’s fellow Academy Award winner won’t be able to join the cast of ‘Shatterhand’. Esquire
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