A shady first look of the actor from the 25th instalment in the 007 franchise was recently released along with a sneak peek of other characters as well.
Earlier this week, the 007 Twitter account officially launched character posters for 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, which is helmed by American filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga, who took over directing duties from Sam Mendes.
Along with pictures of both new and returning characters comes the initial look at the Oscar winning actor Rami Malek, who is set to play the villain opposite Daniel Craig. Apart from Craig and Malek’s first looks, the posters give viewers a glimpse of Lea Seydoux and Ben Whishaw, who will be reprising their roles as well as new additions Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas.
While we already know that Rami Malek will be seen in a villainous role in the upcoming James Bond film, No Time to Die, Malek’s character in the poster shows him as a natural Bond villain – ominous, pale and slightly scarred – and he looks mischievous as ever.
Malek’s character Safin in the upcoming film, according to the official plot summary, is “a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.”
The Bohemian Rhapsody actor is seen wearing a navy overcoat and black turtleneck and is seen turning his body away from the camera while still making direct eye contact with viewers. Malek’s quaffed hair with a tint of grey and his face with a bit of scarring, all make him the perfect choice.
Before joining the cast, however, Rami Malek had a few important conditions in mind when he agreed to play the role of the villain. Though he knew that he will be essaying the character of some sort of a terrorist, for Malek, who was born to Egyptian immigrant parents, it was imperative his evil ways were not linked to a certain religion or ideology.
In a previous interview with Daily Mirror, Malek revealed, “It’s a great character and I’m very excited. But that was one thing I discussed with [director Cary Fukunaga]. I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That’s not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out’.”
But Fukunaga had something completely different in mind that allowed the actor to take up the role with no reservations. “That was clearly not his vision. So he’s a very different kind of terrorist,” added Malek. “It’s another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies. But I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders. I mean, Bond is something that we all [have] grown up with.”
No Time to Die, which is Daniel Craig’s fifth and most likely his final entry in the franchise, is set to hit theaters in April, 2020. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga shot to fame after directing the first season of True Detective featuring Matthew Mcconaughey and Woody Harrelson.
– With information Empire and People
