The James Bond franchise is one the longest running in film history, with Eon Productions showing no signs of slowing down. Daniel Craig's tenure as 007 will come to an end with Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die, which was delayed a full year amid global health issues. The highly anticipated 25th Bond movie will feature the debut of Rami Malek as the mysterious villain Safin, and the Oscar-winning actor seems to be having fun dodging questions about one particular fan theory.
Not much is known about No Time to Die, but the movie's cast will feature an intriguing mix of new and returning characters. Rami Malek looks menacing in the movie's trailers as Safin, but the cast and crew hav been keeping the events of Cary Joji Fukunaga's' film under wraps. One popular theory is that Safin will be revealed to be iconic villain Dr. No, similar to the way Blofeld's origin played out in Spectre. He's been asked about this possibility before, and Malek most recently responded by saying:
That’s interesting. I’m not going to bite on that, but I do think it’s interesting. They’ll just have to wait and see. Let the rumors fly, because no matter what you expect from this movie, you will be shocked when you watch the film. I will not add any fuel to that fire.
How delightfully cryptic. While not actually giving any concrete answers, Rami Malek seems to be interested in the ongoing fan theory that he's actually playing Dr. No. Given the precedent of previous movies, this doesn't seem completely out of the question.
Rami Malek's comments to GQ are sure to add momentum to the ongoing conversation about his No Time to Die character. While not revealing any of the movie's contents, Malek has spoken to the unsettling nature of Safin. Additionally, he spoke to the psychological toll it took to portray the villain in the mysterious Bond sequel.
Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond will reach its swan song for No Time to Die, and it's been a wild ride thus far. The franchise embraced serialized storytelling during this time, with recurring characters and 007's actions being informed by previous movies. And when Blofeld was revealed to be the architect of Bond's pain, it should be interesting to see exactly what Safin's origin is.
No Time to Die was Rami Malek's first project after winning the Academy Award for his work playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. The stakes are obviously high, and it looks like Malek is going to bring a terrifying presence to the Bond franchise. And he also seems to share a connection to Léa Seydoux's Dr. Madeleine Swann.
Unfortunately, No Time to Die is one of the many movies to be delayed when theaters were shut down and people stopped congregating in large groups. Bond 25 will now arrive next April, where it can hopefully make the box office numbers that the franchise is known for. And in the process, moviegoers will say goodbye to Daniel Craig's hulking James.
No Time to Die is currently set to arrive in theaters April 2nd, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies next year.
