James Bond’s next villain ‘revealed’ as much-loved Hollywood star-Lillie Rohan-Entertainment – Metro

Who will be the next Bond villain? (Picture: Shutterstock/Getty)

The big topic of conversation recently has been focused on who will be the next James Bond, but what about the next villain? 

While Theo James, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Idris Elba and countless other handsome Hollywood heavyweights battle it out to become the next 007, there is a person lurking in the shadows, just waiting to be the next character we love to hate. 

With big shoes to fill, including those of Richard Kiel, Joseph Wiseman, Mads Mikkelsen, and, most recently, Rami Malek, the aspiring bad guy’s job is not going to be easy, but it seems there is one who tops the rest when it comes to qualifications. 

Despite Cillian Murphy, Oscar Isaac, and Barry Keoghan being thrown around as potential Bond villains, Irish actor Colin Farrell has the most chance, according to one computer-generated prediction. 

Based on the characteristics of past Bond villains, such as their age and time of filming, Betway has determined the Irish actor has a 15.8 per cent chance of appearing in the next film of the much-loved spy series as a bad guy. 

Colin Farrell is favourite to be the next villain (Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Farrell, 48, recently wowed fans with his portrayal of The Penguin. Each episode of the short series received more viewers than the last, resulting in an impressive 2.1 million viewers for the finale and an overwhelming amount of reviews praising the star. 

Spiderscoots wrote on X: ‘The Penguin finale has cemented Colin Farrell’s portrayal as one of the best on-screen comic book villains ever. He completely disappeared into the role, really doing something special with it after his introduction in The Batman. Holy s**t, what a show!’

Aine Donegal agreed, writing: ‘It just got darker and darker.  Brilliant performance.’ 

‘Wow. Colin Farrell’s Penguin is the most despicable, greatest Batman villain I’ve ever seen. Yes, even more than Heath Ledger’s joker,’ Samuel Sey wrote. 

Farrell amazed fans in The Penguin (Picture: HBO)

Another fan confessed they once thought Farrell’s career should be directed toward playing Bond himself, but they have since changed their minds and think he should play a villain. 

‘When Craig was rumoured to retire from Bond, I was ready to organize a posse to get Colin Farrell for 007. Look at London Blvd. Now younger Theo James should be the guy. Watch Lying and Stealing. Maybe Col will be a   great villain for Bond!’ Margo 0375 said. 

Despite fan praise, Farrell has competition. According to Betway calculations, Dune star Isaac, 45, is a close second with a 13.8 per cent possibility of fitting the role criteria. 

Oscar Isaac is also in the running (Picture: Roy Rochlin/WireImage)

Known as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, the Latino star was also named by Vanity Fair in 2017 as the best actor of his generation and by the New York Times in 2020 as one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. 

Isaac has also earned a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination and is no stranger to action films, having starred in X-Men: Apocalypse, Moon Knight and Triple Frontier. 

Also on the list was Murphy, 48; however, Betway placed him much lower at 9.6%. Murphy is a top candidate for fans, thanks to his impressive resume, which includes staring as the loveable rogue Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and J. Robert Oppenheimer in the namesake film. 

Earning an Academy Award for the role, the star would be an undoubtedly good choice as many know he thrives in a darker role. Pure Anime1 wrote on X: ‘Murphy would be a great James Bond villain.’ 

Sir Tire added: ‘Tom Hardy as James Bond and Cillian Murphy as the villain. Now sign me up. I’m up.’ 

While Murphy has already shut down rumours that he is playing Bond, telling Deadline: ‘I think I’m a bit old for that’ and ‘that ship has sailed’, he hasn’t yet responded to theories that he could be the next villain. 

Murphy shines in darker roles (Picture: BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd./Robert Viglasky)

Keoghan (L) is also a possible contender (Picture: Mubi)

Other names included in the Betway list saw Keoghan come in fourth with an 8.5 per cent chance, thanks to his roles in Saltburn and the Banshees of Inisherin. Stanley Tucci also placed with 3.6 per cent, just under Emma Corrin, who was calculated to have a 3.8 per cent chance of playing a Bond villain. 

The last Bond film hit cinemas more than three years ago, with the most recent status update about a new Bond era coming from producer Baraba Broccoli today. While she confirmed the next 007 will be ‘a man’ and ‘likely in his 30s’, she noted that ‘whiteness is not a given’. 

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely fans will find out who that star is before the end of the year and it’s even more unlikely they will see a film before 2027. 

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