With production set to start on the John Hodge penned and Danny Boyle directed Bond 25 this December, everyone is eagerly awaiting information on Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as Ian Fleming's 007. A recent report seemed to indicate that, among things, the film would see Bond go up against a female antagonist.
Now, UK newspaper The Mirror has added fuel to that fire as they reveal that two time Academy Award nominee Helena Bonham Carter, who had villainous turns in both Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland, is said to be the producers preferred choice for the part.
“Everyone thinks Angelina Jolie is going to get the part but bosses want Helena more," sources close to the paper said. "At the moment they are just finalizing the cast.”
Newspaper scoops about Bond are a dime a dozen in the UK, though interestingly before EON re-acquired the rights to Blofeld and SPECTRE, there were plans to introduce a female Blofeld analog as the head of Quantum, the organization introduced in Quantum of Solace. This idea was shelved however during the MGM financial hiatus between the release of that film and Sam Mendes' Skyfall.
When it came time to pick up the narrative pieces from Quantum of Solace, Broccoli and Wilson had regained the Blofeld rights from the McClory estate and opted to reintroduce the character in SPECTRE. Christoph Waltz has already confirmed he won't return for Bond 25 so it would make sense for the producers to return to the idea of a female villain.
If this turns out to be true then Bond 25 will be the first time the long-running franchise has had a female antagonist since 1999's The World is Not Enough and the first during Craig's tenure.
What do you think? Would you like to see Craig grapple with a female villain? Are you excited about Boyle's Bond 25? Leave your thoughts below.
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