Do you hear that? It's the sound of the old rumor mill grinding its gears in preparation for some fresh BOND 25 hearsay. Now, before we dig in, please feel free to grab yourself a generous helping of salt before chowing down on this "news." According to the UK newspaper The Mirror, Helena Bonham Carter is the producers top choice to star as the villain of Danny Boyle's long-gestating spy thriller starring the legendary character James Bond.
“Everyone thinks Angelina Jolie is going to get the part but bosses want Helena more," sources close to the paper said. "At the moment they are just finalizing the cast.”
One of the reasons this rumor is gaining traction is because, not long ago, reports suggested that Bond would match wits with a female antagonist for the next chapter of his thrilling adventures. While a rumor can often be dismissed, EON producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have expressed interest in plans to introduce a female Blofeld character as the head of Quantum, the organization featured in QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008). Now, for those of you who're unfamiliar (like I was at the time of writing this article), Blofeld is a recurring Bond villain, probably the most famous. Played by a variety of different actors over the years, the antagonist was most recently portrayed by Christoph Waltz in SPECTRE. Seeing as Waltz has stated that he will not be returning to the Bond franchise, the door is now wide open for Broccoli and Wilson to introduce a female villain to the Ian Fleming franchise.
If the casting of Carter comes to pass, she will act as the first female Bond villain to threaten the super spy since Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999).
What do you think of this rumor? Would you like to see Helena Bonham Carter in the role? Personally, I think she'd make for a fine Bond villain. After all, she was creepy as all get out when she starred as Bellatrix LeStrange in the Harry Potter movies, and her Queen of Hearts in Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND wasn't half bad either. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.