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Well, now this sounds like some "maybe, definitely" news worth commenting on. Idris Elba would make a fantastic main villain. He's engaging as an actor and has a tall, muscular physique, which could lead to a very satisfying hand-to-hand final combat with Bond. (I know there's Bautista to battle as well, but we've had physically capable villain/henchmen match-ups before: Kananga/Samedi/Tee Hee, Sanchez/Dario, Trevelyan/Xenia.)
That would make sense. My hypothesis: Buonaparte Ignace Gallia, or someone based on the character. And before I get misinterpreted: NOT Kananga, NOT for a remake of LALD. In any case, Elba would make a great Gallia and a far more believable Flemingesque villain (IMO) than Ejiofor.
I highly doubt that they'll reintroduce a character that has only appeared in one movie. But I could be wrong, it may work.
Buonaparte Ignace Gallia is such a fantastic name I would be disappointed if they did the character as written in the book and did not use the name. No need to call him Mr. Big at any point. Gallia will do.
In any case.......we're still without any clue about the leading villain. Another 5.5 weeks to go....
It would be nice to see a non-white or female main villain, just for the sake of variety. Whether African, Middle-Eastern, Asian or South-East Asian, I don't mind. Every villain since Yaphet Kotto...
Chris Lee
Kurt Jurgens
Michael Lonsdale
Julian Glover
Louis Jourdan
Chris Walken
Jeroen Krabbe
Robert Davi
Sean Bean
Jonathan Price
Sophie Marceau
Toby Stephens
Mads Mikkelsen
Matthieu Amalric
Javier Bardem
Bit of a pattern there.
Anyway, I think Elba maybe the villain as I seem to remember he did have meeting with the producers around the time SF was just released which Naomi Harris confirmed.
I don't put a whole lot of weight on what we, from this distance, can see regarding actors' schedules.
I disagree. I am against every form of discrimination. Even positive discrimination. I'm not accusing you of this @RC7, but for me personally the variety argument does not hold. For me, what's foremost important, are acting skills combined with how the character fits in the plot. Having said that, I do think looks are important, but it's not related to sexe or skin colour.
An example: You could either cast Helen Mirren or Tilda Swinton. And you can also consider Marion Cotillard or Rachel Weisz. But I think the first two actresses have a kind of uniqueness to their looks/appearances. Helen and Tilda for me look more credible as a villain than Marion or Rachel.
Same with non-white actors. In all honesty, for me the looks of Chiwetel Eijofor are more convincing for a leading villain than the more handsome, protagonist-esque looks of Idris Elba.
So again, looks are important, just not the sexe and skin colour. And again, it all comes down to acting. For me personally, and I'm surprised not so many fans mention it, Javier Bardem was a mastermind's casting choice. Mads Mikkelsen worked as villain, but Javier Bardem as Silva for me worked even more. Charismatic, engaging, complex, convincing screenplay written for his lines, perfect looks, tiny little traits (slightly gay-ish smirks and sighs...my God, it worked).
To close this post, I did a little rating of your list of villains ;-):
--> 5/5 - Chris Lee: Suave and well-spoken villain, he forces Moore to counteract his strong arguments
--> 4/5 - Kurt Jurgens: Could very well be the Anthony Dawson/Pohlmann-Blofeld
--> 3/5 - Michael Lonsdale: Bit more of the same
--> 2/5 - Julian Glover: Very "human", but lacks psychotic traits for me
--> 2/5 - Louis Jourdan: For me Orlov was the real villain
--> 5/5 - Chris Walken: Still my favourite villain of the Moore-era, thoroughly enjoys killing....smirks over dead bodies, a true psychopath
--> 1/5 - Jeroen Krabbe: Although I'm Dutch, he didn't do it for me
--> 4/5 - Robert Davi: Psychopathic drug lord
--> 2/5 - Sean Bean: For me the wrong actor for the job, too charismatic to be an antagonist, slightly overacted
--> 3/5 - Jonathan Price: OK-casting, just at times a little bit over the top
--> 4/5 - Sophie Marceau: The "Viona Volpe" of the Brosnan-films, complex character
--> 1/5 - Toby Stephens: Completely unbelievable acting, he lacks nuance in his smirks, looks constantly "angry" out of the blue
--> 4/5 - Mads Mikkelsen: Wunderful Danish character actor, Hitler-esque looks
--> 3/5 - Matthieu Amalric: Actually not that bad, big black eyes staring at you like the devil
--> 5/5 - Javier Bardem: Absolutely convincing piece of acting, best Bond-villain since Dr. No, Goldfinger, Blofeld (FRWL, TB) and Zorin. First Bond villain-actor to receive an Screen Actor's Guild Award nomination
And just a quick glance on the rest of the villains:
--> 5/5 - Joseph Wiseman: The way he grinds that little statue, his lines "East, West, to points on the same compass", very Silva-esque entrance, how to turn little screen time into overwhelming screen presence
--> 5/5 - Lotte Lenya: Now that was a female villain with authority....a sexe-less blunt psychotic
--> 4/5 - Robert Shaw: Actually for me the first ever henchman
--> 5/5 - Gert Frobe: How charismatic an actor can be without talking one word English. Yes, the dubbing helped, but so did his smirks, his looks. Completely believable
--> 3/5 - Adolfo Celi: Good executive vice-president of SPECTRE
--> 5/5 - Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann: What a combination, the mystery of the man, combined with that voice....
--> 3/5 - Donald Pleasance: Did not really do it for me
--> 4/5 - Telly Savalas: Good Blofeld......"you perverse Brittish tourists"
--> 1/5 - Charles Gray: If Silva is accused of having bisexual tendencies, then this Blofeld is 200% gay
--> 3/5 - Yaphet Kotto: Not convincing enough for me, though the interrogation scene with Moore was very good
--> 3/5 - Steven Berkoff: Enjoyable, crazy general....
--> 5/5 - Klaus-Maria Brandauer: How can so many fans forget this Austrian character actor, could be the full psychotic brother of Christopher Walken
--> 5/5 - Barbara Carrera: Forgotten actress, who got a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Fatima Blush
--> 1/5 - Robert Carlyle: IMO a severe case of overacting, just like Toby Stephens
Small conclusion: I think the quality of the Bond villains has been uplifted substantially during Craig's reign as 007.
Well, that goes without saying, doesn't it? I'm suggesting that when you look at the spectrum of villains it would be nice to have a non-white and/or female lead villain. How and if they reach such a conclusion is up to them. There are plenty of capable actors about and not all of them are Oscar nominated.
It would obviously not be the same character. Even the name would be different.
We are so off topic. NEWS WE NEED NEWS!!!!!
It would surprise me since it would be an incredibly boring choice. Waltz is an amazing actor but is primarily known for playing villains (aside from Django Unchained).
The focus should not be about the actual casting choice, and if that choice is "boring". The focus should be about which actor really can portray a memorable villain. The focus should be about the acting skills.
I think Christoph Waltz sound a bit uninspiring, in a similar way to casting Javier Bardem, but this actor can bring tons of charisma, complexity and gravita to a Bond villain role. Perhaps in a same way like Klaus-Maria Brandauer did in NSNA (another wonderful Austrian actor).
Casting a villain, the very word "villain", in the first place is a prime example of typecasting.......if you want it or not.