Bond 24 Looking At Chiwetel Ejiofor To Play The Villain
Whoever ends up playing the next 007 villain in Sam Mendes’ untitled Bond 24 has some serious shoes to fill. In his performance as the ex-MI6 terrorist Silva, Javier Bardem created not only an amazing antagonist, but one of the greatest baddies in the history of the franchise. Whoever gets the gig will undoubtedly have to deal with a lot of comparisons – but perhaps that’s the reason why fellow Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor may be the perfect choice for the challenge.
Variety’s sources have learned that MGM and Sony are heavily considering the 12 Years A Slave actor to play the next great James Bond villain. At this point the studios have not yet made an offer, but Ejiofor is reportedly the frontrunner for the gig. Obviously we don’t know anything about the character he would be portraying just yet, but should the actor sign on he would join a cast that includes Daniel Craig (who will be playing Bond for the fourth time), Ralph Fiennes (as the new M), Ben Whishaw (as Q) and Naomie Harris (as Miss Moneypenny). John Logan, who wrote the script for Skyfall as well as screenplays for other hit movies like Hugo, Rango, and Gladiator, is currently scripting Bond 24.
So why would Chiwetel Ejiofor potentially make a terrific James Bond villain? Not only is the guy incredibly talented – as demonstrated across multiple genres – he has also had some experience playing a fantastic villain in Joss Whedon’s Serenity (a.k.a. Firefly: The Movie).
Scheduling is something that the actor would definitely have to work out with the studio. Thanks to the acclaim he has received for his role in 12 Years A Slave, the guy is more in-demand than he has ever been, but perhaps he is a big enough Bond fan that he could find a way to do it. On the horizon for him is the Craig Zobel-directed sci-fi movie Z for Zachariah with Chris Pine and Margot Robbie, and then he will be a part of the massive ensemble featured in John Hillcoat’s Triple Nine.
Bond 24 will go into production this year in target of a November 6, 2015 release date.