James Bond's surprise next villain 'named' after forgotten 007 role revealed

Fans are calling for a well-known actor to be named as next Bond villain (Image: MGM)

James Bond fans are tipping Jason Isaacs to be cast as the franchise’s next villain as the rumour mill regarding Daniel Craig’s replacement continues to rumble. The 007 role has remained vacant following the star’s exit following 2021’s No Time To Die.

After Daniel, 56, announced he would be passing on the James Bond mantle in November 2019, fans have speculated who could be next to take on the iconic role. Names such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, 36, have been thrown into the mix as well as Rebel Ridge’s Aaron Pierre, 30.

While the jury remains out on who will receive the keys to the DB5, fans are claiming they want Jason, 61, to portray the next film’s villain. The father-of-two has almost four decades' worth of industry experience under his belt and is no stranger to stepping into the role of the antagonist.

Previously, Jason has portrayed the devious Death Eater Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film adaptations as well as Captain Hook in 2003’s Peter Pan. He has also starred as Colonel William Tavington in the 2000 historical war film, The Patriot.

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Taking to Reddit to make their case for Jason becoming a Bond villain known, one user wrote: “Definitely want to see him as a villain. He plays the bad guy role very good. I was scared as a kid of his role in The Patriot.”

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Social media users are tipping Jason Isaacs to play a Bond villain. (Image: GETTY)

A second said: “Definitely a Bond villain. He was so sinister as Lucius Malfoy.”

“He would’ve been, and he could still be a fantastic villain, too,” commented someone else. “I think I read somewhere that he’d tested for Bond before Brosnan got the nod?”

A fourth typed: “I don’t think Issacs would make a good Bond but definitely a great villain. Maybe I just can’t see past Tavington and Lucius Malfoy but Jason is incredible in villainous roles.”

Another remarked: “Bond villain. Perhaps an ex 00 who realises being bad pays better.”

Jason has previously had a brush with the James Bond franchise in the past, having recorded a reading of Ian Fleming’s Thunderball in 2012.

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Jason is best known for portraying Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films (Image: Warner Bros. ) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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The eighth full-length Bond novel was initially printed in the UK in 1961 and was once adapted into a comic strip for the Daily Express.

Previously, Jason has been complimentary of Daniel’s 15-year stint as Bond.

Answering a fan question on why he was never cast in the titular role in 2022, the star wrote in The Guardian: “That’s very kind, but whoever sent that in needs to visit their optometrist.

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“Daniel [Craig] was cast just after we’d done a play together [Angels in America]. He’s one of the only people on the planet who is more comfortable naked than with clothes on, which is why he has been – and will be – the perfect Bond for a long time to come.”

If Jason was to be cast as a villain in the action franchise, he would join an elite pantheon of actors that includes Donald Pleasance, Sean Bean, Lotte Lenya and Javier Bardem.

It’s currently not known when the next James Bond movie is set to release, with co-producer Barbara Broccoli telling The Guardian in 2023: “I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that.”