There are few roles in film that demand as much public attention, critical eye and opinion as the role of James Bond. Daniel Craig is probably (and rightly so) sipping a shaken, unstirred martini on a beach somewhere in the Mediterranean, enjoying his retirement, having hung up his tuxedo and Walther PPK following the efforts of No time to die.
With the vacant position 007, the job specification is the broadest it has ever been. Since Craig’s last bow, the rumor mill about who his successor will be has been in flux. As attention lingers on an announcement about the identity of the eighth Bond actor (give or take Barry Nelson’s appearance in an episode of the TV show Climax!), who will play the future enemies of the spy also remains an unknown amount. After 007 producers revealed that Bond is by no means dead and will be returning to our screens, it got us thinking about which actors we want to see in Bond villain form.
From Javier Bardem, Mads Mikkelsen and Donald Pleasence to Christoph Waltz, Rami Malek and Christopher Walken, there have been some exceptional actors who have instigated utter treachery against Bond. Since the 1960s, we have become accustomed to seeing masterful depictions of the malicious, who in some cases (such as Javier Bardem in skyfall), outperform Bond himself.
With speculation ramping up after recent announcements, here are some actors who could make brilliant Bond villains…
Gal Gadot
Usually, because of 007’s inherently misogynistic ways and the era in which the books were written, female antagonists were often used as a minor inconvenience rather than a major problem, before Bond invariably lured them into the bedroom. The spy met his first female nemesis in 1963 From Russia with love, with Rosa Klebb taking on the task as his known enemy. We haven’t seen a woman face Bond since Elektra King in The world is not enoughso it’s been a long time that’s an understatement.
Gal Gadot has become accustomed to portraying the force for good, the morality arbiter in a world of immoral games. From Wonder Woman to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Gadot is suitable for the voice of logic, honesty and principle. Still, in Netflix’s Red notification she takes on the position of a “villain,” a cunning, cunning, and cunning thief with a penchant for violence — all traits that make for an incredibly compelling Bond villain.
Vincent Cassel
Studio Canal+
With success in Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 neo-noir crime drama, La Hainebefore making his mainstream debut in the great Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Twelve. Vincent Cassel’s rugged, unrefined on-screen persona is a true Bond villain trait. With his charming Parisian accent and roguish looks, he certainly possesses that worldly demeanor that so many of the great Bond villains have had. There is a certain air of unpredictability that he retains as Vinz in La Haineand he could certainly channel the same energy into a Bond opponent.
Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon has a history of playing the force for evil as General Zod in Man of Steel and appears as Colonel Richard Strickland in Guillermo Del Toro’s The shape of water, one of the most memorable antagonists of recent years. As Strickland, he was the epitome of a nasty, narcissistic person, with a terrifying, imposing presence. Shannon’s great performance in The shape of water is undeniably a viable audition for a Jaws-esque Henchman (circa (The Spy Who Loved Me and moonraker) in a future James Bond movie.
Willem Dafoe
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Willem Dafoe has that mean, crazy look in his eyes. That look that saw him excel as the Green Goblin in Spider Man and in the considerably less credible Speed 2: Cruise Control like the horribly unhinged John Geiger. The cackling laughter, the slimy, sly exterior, and the ability to convincingly portray the menacing image. His Bond villain credentials are there for all to see.
John Boyega
The Star Wars actor recently stated that he does not expect James Bond to ever be played by a black or colored person after the reaction he and the Star Wars franchise for casting him as Fin. While John Boyega has a stark lack of “villain” experience, an actor with his level of agility will no doubt be able to play a character who wreaks havoc and terror on an international scale in Bond and MI5. His recent turn in the excellent movie Break shows that he can play a criminal with extreme complexity and depth of emotion.
Tilda Swinton
The Academy Award-winning actor has starred in more than 60 films in her award-winning career and has developed a formidable repertoire for on-screen wickedness. From the icy tyranny of her display as the White Witch in Narniathe calculated, power-hungry Lucy Mirando, driven by unadulterated greed and self-interest in Bong Joon-Ho’s Okay, to her role in Joon-Ho’s snow piercer as the sinister and ruthless minister Mason, and her ultimately Oscar-winning role in Michael Claytonthis is someone who can transform into the most complicated atrocities.
In every position, she has managed to reinvent her wickedness in every character, so combining all the deranged, unjust and evil traits and merging them into one great Bond super villain has the potential to be unforgettable and British spy a real threat.