Rami Malek to play Bond villain in franchise's 25th film next year

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Oscar winner Rami Malek will play the international villain who Daniel Craig's James Bond must battle in the British spy franchise’s 25th film set for release next year, the producers announced on Thursday.

"I promise you all I will be making sure that Mr. Bond does not have an easy ride of it," Malek said in a recorded announcement from New York aired as part of a webcast about the new movie.

The untitled movie, known by the working title "Bond 25," will be Craig's fifth go-around as Britain's most famous fictional secret agent, and will feature on-location scenes in Jamaica, the producers said in the webcast from the Caribbean island.

After 2015 film "Spectre," Craig had said he would rather slash his wrists than play Bond again. But in 2017, the actor confirmed he would return to the role one last time.

Actor Daniel Craig (L) and actress Lea Seydoux attend "Spectre" premiere at The Place in Beijing, November 12, 2015. /VCG Photo

Producers had already announced that the movie, set for release next April, will be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the man behind the first season of the U.S. television drama "True Detective."

The new film will be shot in Italy, Norway and London in addition to Jamaica, the producers said.

The Bond franchise, based on the Ian Fleming novels about the British secret agent who outsmarts international villains, overcomes certain death and charms glamorous women, first hit screens during the Cold War with Sean Connery as Bond.

Bond has also been played by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

(Cover: Rami Malek poses upon arriving for the Time 100 Gala celebrating Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in New York, U.S., April 23, 2019. /Reuters Photo)

Source(s): Reuters