Oppenheimer and MCU star want to be cast as the next James Bond villain

The actor – who most recently starred as William L Borden in Oppenheimer and has had roles in Marvel's Ant-Man and DC's Suicide Squad – said in an interview with Slash Film (conducted in June before the SAG-AFTRA strike): "So whoever is reading this, take it as a sign. You were meant to be reading this line at this moment as you're thinking about the future of what you guys are doing with the franchise."

While Bond producers are still reportedly looking for the next person to helm the franchise, it seems as though Dastmalchian is keen and ready to become part of the villainous Bond canon that includes the likes of Dr No (Joseph Wiseman), Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata).

Dastmalchian continued: "Trust me when I say that I can bring something to an enemy of 007, whether he or she or they be played in a way that no one has ever seen Bond brought to life before, which is of course the way that you guys always do it.

"I think there's no one to push Bond to the limits of their capabilities the way that I could, and I would love to do it. So there's my pitch to them. I can't wait for them to read this. And then I will owe you when or if I ever get that role, I guess 10%."

But, of course, you can't have an antagonist without the main star being confirmed, so it's likely that the villainous role won't be confirmed until James Bond himself is.

2021's No Time to Die saw Daniel Craig helm his last film as the character and it ended with Bond getting blown up in a missile strike. But who will be next in line as 007? Well, so far Happy Valley's James Norton has admitted there's "nothing concrete behind" the rumours that he is up for the role.

Read more:

• James Bond director weighs in on how next movie will navigate new start
• Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan wants to helm the next James Bond

Rupert Friend has also admitted that he would be up for the role should it come knocking, on account of being older and more experienced. He commented: "Very, very recently, last week [in mid-April], it started to come back into my consciousness that, let’s put it this way, maybe I’ve got the scars and the bruises now."

Other names currently attached to the Bond rumours include Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), Paapa Essiedu (The Lazarus Project), Richard Madden (Citadel) and Henry Golding (Snake Eyes).

James Bond films including No Time to Die, Casino Royale and many more are available to rent or buy on Prime Video. Sign up for a 30-day free trial and pay £8.99 per month after that.

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