“BOND 25” to be DANIEL CRAIG’S Last as 007; RAMI MALEK Cast as Main Baddie

No matter the decade, no matter the global political climate, Britain’s top secret agent never seems to run out of missions to run and global threats to take down. The “James Bond” film franchise has run several decades and cast a succession of lead actors. The latest, Daniel Craig, started in 2006 with “Casino Royale,” a storyline reboot of the Bond movie mythos. His latest outing was in 2015 with “Spectre.” But now the time has come for Craig to leave the role, with his last hurrah being the 25th Bond film in 2020. And it will be potentially awesome considering who was cast to be antagonist to Agent 007.

The Hollywood Reporter has it that new information on the still-untitled “Bond 25” was shared this Thursday, April 25. Franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson as well as film director Cary Joji Fukunaga dropped tiny details on the plot of 007’s future espionage adventure, and further padded the cast list. In particular, they announced the actor who will play Bond’s enemy in the movie. Considering his latest fame and accolades from his last big blockbuster, one cannot deny this honor to Rami Malek.

From his Oscar-winning performance as Freddie Mercury in 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Rami Malek seems tailor-fit to play the role of an exotic main bad guy in the vein of old-school terrorist and criminal masterminds from previous “James Bond” films. He will be joining a slate of returning actors and actresses with Craig. These include Ralph Fiennes as Bond’s boss M, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, and Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeline Swann, Bond’s love interest from “Spectre.” New cast additions along with Malik are Ana de Armas, Billy Magnussen, Dali Benssalah, Lashana Lynch and David Dencik.

Unusual for the launch of a new Bond film, the announcement was streamed from Jamaica rather than in a press event at the franchise’s home in the UK’s Pinewood Studios. This location ties into the plot for “Bond 25,” which sees the retired 007 at one point in Jamaica, where he is approached by CIA Agent Leiter for help in a covert operation. The mission only serves to uncover a new mastermind with high-tech gadgets ready to turn world order upside-down. Filming locations for “Bond 25” aside from Pinewood and Jamaica are London, Norway (where shooting has already finished) and Italy for the grand finale.

“Bond 25” is slated for a US release on April 8, 2020 from MGM/United Artists and longtime Bond producer Eon.

Images: Consequences of Sound, 007.com