John Travolta has accomplished quite a bit in his career. He’s been nominated for Academy Awards. He’s gained world-renown as a sex symbol. He’s opened number one films, launched franchises and been a household name for more than three decades, but that doesn’t mean the actor still doesn’t have a few things on his bucket list, one thing in particular really.
During an interview with The Telegraph, Travolta told the outlet he’s always wanted to play a James Bond villain, and the dream actually isn’t as far fetched as you might imagine. He’s had conversations with the producers about it and everything.
"I would love that. They’re going a different way with their villain in this next film but I’ve spoken to Barbara Broccoli about it and she loves the idea, so that would be great."
Broccoli is the daughter of famed original James bond producer Cubby Broccoli. She’s worked, in some capacity, on every single 007 film since 1983’s Octopussy. Alongside her half-brother Michael G Wilson, she’s produced all the films since 1995’s Goldeneye. In short, if there’s something going on in the Bond universe, she’s the woman you want to have on board.
Of course, a high percentage of meetings in Hollywood never actually amount to anything. I’m sure she told Travolta it would be wonderful to see him follow in the footsteps of Robert Shaw, Javier Bardem and Gert Frobe, but that doesn’t mean the stars will actually align to make that happen. There would need to be a villain in Travolta’s wheelhouse, and the future director would have to approve of Travolta.
That being said, both of those cases really are not long shots. A majority of Bond villains are white collar dudes in their fifties or sixties, and a fair number of them are played by actors who might not be Travolta-level famous but aren’t exactly journeyman just happy to get the work. Plus, no one says no to a little extra box office muscle, and Travolta would certainly provide that.
We won’t seen James Bond on screen until late 2015. Consequently, it will be years until we know for sure whether Broccoli and company will work Travolta into the equation. Until then, you can take a look back at some of the greatest James Bond villains in history by watching this lovely little villain put together Time Magazine…
