Rami Malek has been officially unveiled as the villain in the upcoming James Bond movie.
The Bohemian Rhapsody star’s involvement was heavily speculated, and finally announced at a special event at 007 creator Ian Fleming’s Goldeneye estate in Jamaica on Thursday (25Apr19).
Rami wasn’t present at the launch but said in a video message: “I’m very much looking forward to joining the whole cast and crew so very soon and I promise you I will be making sure Mr. Bond does not have an easy ride of it in this, his 25th outing.”
Reacting from Jamaica, lead star Daniel Craig joked that he was “scared” by his new screen nemesis.
Also joining the cast are new Bond girls Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch, as well as David Dencik, Billy Magnussen and Dali Benssalah.
Returning actors include Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Ralph Fiennes as M, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, and Jeffrey Wright as Bond’s C.I.A. counterpart Felix Leiter.
The 25th Bond film will be directed by Cary Fukunaga, who attended the launch event with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Speaking to BBC presenter Clara Amfo, Michael confirmed Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge has worked with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Scott Z. Burns and Cary on the script, and that the movie will open with the British super spy relaxing at a luxury pad in Jamaica.
He and Barbara also revealed filming will take place in Norway, London, and Italy, though they remained tight-lipped on the movie’s title.
In the film, Bond will go on a mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist, which puts him on trail of a mysterious villain armed with alarming new technology.
The Caribbean island is very much a home away from home for Bond, as in addition to being where Fleming wrote his spy novels, it has also been the setting for several of the films, most notably Dr. No, which featured Ursula Andress’ iconic beach scene.
It will be Daniel’s fifth outing as the slick sleuth and is expected to be his last after previous installments Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.
