'No Time to Die Director' teases Rami Malek's Safin as the biggest James Bond villain

Rami Malek will be making his debut in the James Bond franchise with No Time to Die. He is playing Daniel Craig’s agent 007’s deadly enemy, Safin. Now, director Cary Joji Fukunaga compared the baddie with previous bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz, and teased that it is bigger.

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No Time to Die director says film’s villain had to go bigger than Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld

In a recent interview with British GQ, Cary Joji Fukunaga opened up about Rami Malek’s James Bond villain Safin in No Time to Die. He said that Oscar-winner Malek belongs in that company in the same breath as any of the truly great actors. The filmmaker stated that the awards tell people that but also do his work. He mentioned that once they got into Christopher Waltz / Blofeld territory, they cannot go small again. They had to think bigger. Fukunaga asserted that it is tricky because they do not want to make a cliché supervillain, but they have to make someone that is threatening not only to James Bond and the people he loved but to the world at large.

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Rami Malek described how Safin pans out like a James Bond villain in No Time to Die. He mentioned that they really did sit down, and thought about what would truly frighten them, what would send a real panic into audiences’ heart. The actor stated it is that sense of dread that sets it apart.

Rami Malek also shared his experience of filming No Time to Die and standing against Danie Craig as James Bond. He said that he had the most extraordinary time going head-to-head with Craig. Malek called him a consummate professional. The actor mentioned that what was really special about the project is that he has seen these movies, and loved the Bond films, but one day, going out, on stage, on set, in front of the lens, he actually got a Broadway version of sitting in the front seat watching Bond do it first-hand. He asserted that it took him a second to step back and recall his first dialogue.

Also Read | Rami Malek On Playing Character Of Safin: "It Wasn't Psychologically Easy"

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No Time to Die will be Daniel Craig's fifth and final appearance as James Bond. The movie also features Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, and Léa Seydoux, who will reportedly reprise their roles from previous films. The new additions to the cast are Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, David Dencik, Dali Benssalah and Billy Magnussen. No Time to Die is slated to arrive in theatres on April 2, 2021.