There are still a lot of questions aboutJames Bond26, but this predicted villain casting would be incredibly exciting for the development of the next007reboot. Ever since Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond ended with the release ofNo Time to Die, questions have been circling aboutBond 26. The internet has been filled with rumors of whom the next actor to play James Bond will be, although this news still hasn’t been announced. However, rumors aboutwhoJamesBond 26’s villain will beare starting to pop up, and this potential pick is incredibly exciting.
James Bondvillains are arguably just as importantas the titular spy himself, which is whyBond 26must get its new villain right. WhetherBond 26focuses on an original villain character or adapts another classicBondvillain, the stakes are high for the upcoming film.Craig’s James Bond started out facingCasino Royale’s Le Chiffre, with the Mads Mikkelsen villain being a fan-favorite throughout the franchise. So,Bond 26also needs to start out with a bang, and this rumored villain casting means that it could do just that.
Cillian Murphy Is The Favorite To Play James Bond 26’s Villain
Will It Actually Happen?
As it turns out, Cillian Murphy is the favorite to play the villain inJames Bond 26. This is according to the betting siteOLBG, in which someJames Bondfans are betting on who will play the antagonist in the next007film. Currently, Cillian Murphy has the highest odds, with him sitting at 18.2% as of the writing of this article. The next most likely candidate is Paul Giamatti at 15.4%, followed by David Dastmalchian at 13.3%, Zendaya at 12.5%, Giancarlo Esposito at 11.8%, and Helena Bonham Carter at 11.8%.
While these odds are not officially from the filmmakers behindBond 26,it does signal that many fans expect Cillian Murphy to be the next pick for a007villain. Although it isn’t known if the studio has considered Murphy or if the actor would even be interested, this isn’t an impossible pull forJames Bond 26. The recent history of the franchise has been filled with villain actors who have similar careers to Cillian Murphy. So, it would be incredibly exciting to see Murphy appear inBond 26, especially for thoseOLBGusers who have placed bets in his favor.
Cillian Murphy Playing Bond 26’s Villain Would Be An Exciting Return For Him
It Wouldn’t Be His First Villain Role
Cillian Murphy is one of the most popular actors in Hollywoodright now thanks to his performance in 2023’sOppenheimer, and having him return inBond 26would be incredibly exciting. While Murphy has already done projects sinceOppenheimer, such as 2024’sSmall Things Like These,Bond 26would be his biggest film since the Christopher Nolan Oscar-winner.Bond 26combined with his roles in the28 Years Latertrilogy would catapult Cillian Murphy back into the limelight, giving him two major franchises after hisOppenheimersuccess.
One reason that Murphy may be perfect for theBond 26villain role is that villainous characters are familiar to him. The actor has played villains before,most notably in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogy. There, Murphy played Scarecrow, with him being a recurring character throughout the series. Murphy’s Scarecrow role proves that he can take a campy villain and turn him into something deadly serious, a trait that could be helpful when rebooting an oldJames Bondvillain forBond 26.
Cillian Murphy also played Tommy Shelby in the seriesPeaky Blinders, another project that proves he is right forBond 26. While he was the protagonist of the series, Tommy Shelby was a member of a criminal enterprise, meaning that Murphy can play incredibly complex characters. Murphy could play a similarly complexBond 26villain, giving a legendary performance that goes down in the history books of007.
Cillian Murphy’s Casting Would Continue A Recent James Bond Villain Trend
Based On His Oscars Status
Interestingly, having Cillian Murphy play the villain ofBond 26would perfectly continue a recentJames Bondvillain trend.Daniel Craig’sJames Bondmoviesfrequently made use of Oscar winners, leading to the series having some incredible performances.Skyfall, Spectre, andNo Time to Dieall cast Oscar winners as their villains, those being Javier Bardem, Christoph Waltz, and Rami Malek respectively. While all three of these villains haven’t been universally beloved, their performances have undoubtedly been great.
Cillian Murphy would kick off the newestJames Bondseries by continuing this trend, hopefully starting a domino effect that causes this to continue into the future.Using these prestigious actors was one of the best choices that Daniel Craig’sJames Bondmovies could have made, with it helping to returnBondto its prestigious roots after several poorly-received films. Daniel Craig’sJames Bondmovies completely transformed the franchise, and if Cillian Murphy does wind up being the villain, it means that futureBondmovies will probably be in the same vein as his.
Will Cillian Murphy Actually Get Cast As Bond 26’s Villain?
His Career Means He Could Be Interested
As of the writing of this article, Cillian Murphy’s involvement inBond 26is entirely speculation. While it is clear that a lot of fans want it, there is nothing official to go off of just yet. However, public outcry could lead the studio to consider Murphy, as the film is still clearly in its early stages of development.The next James Bond actor hasn’t even been announced yet, so it is doubtful that decisions are being made about the villain at this time. Thus, it will probably be a while until Murphy’s involvement is announced, if it does happen.
Interestingly, Cillian Murphy has given no reason to think that he would be uninterested inBond 26. Murphy has been involved with big franchises before, such asThe Dark Knightseries andPeaky Blinders. This has continued in his post-Oppenheimercareer, with him signing on to participate in the28 Years Latertrilogy. So, joining theJames Bondfranchise isn’t too much of a stretch, especially considering that he would probably only appear in one movie. On top of that, the prestige of the franchise would probably be appealing to him, withJames Bond 26offering a high-profile yet artful villain role.
