It would appear the press release I expected from MGM and EON productions announcing the cast of Bond 23 (or Skyfall as rumors would call it) may never arrive as the rumored cast members are slowly being confirmed, the most recent being Javier Bardem telling ABC Nightline (via MI6-HG) he has indeed inked a deal to play the film’s villain.
When asked about playing “the next villain” in the new James Bond film Bardem said, “I am very excited, my parents took me to watch the movies, and I saw all of them, so to play that is going to be fun… They chose me to play this man, but I cannot give you many details.”
Bardem was first tipped for a role in the film back in Los Angeles Times saying, “I’m a huge fan of the James Bond saga. When I was little, I went watching Mr. Connery doing James Bond with my father. Who in the world would think I’d be in one of those movies?”
After that he added, “They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic. I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes, but it’s not that obvious. Everything is more nuanced. It’s very intriguing.”
Along with Bardem, it would appear the The Daily Mail‘s Baz Bamigboye who also reports Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy from the Harry Potter franchise) will also have a role in the film.
Beyond that, it seems Ralph Fiennes is also aboard in an unspecified role, Judi Dench will again play M, Rory Kinnear will play M’s assistant once again and Naomie Harris will indeed play Moneypenny. The Playlist adds to that word they’ve heard Ben Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited) is also locked in for an unspecified role.
So, I guess that’s it. I’m sure there are a few signatures to get and specifics to sort out, which is why we haven’t seen an official press release, but it looks like that’s the cast director Sam Mendes will be guiding around set once production begins, en route to a November 9 release. Thoughts?
