Javier Bardem — Bond villain?
Sounds improbable given that the brooding Spanish star isn't known for escapist fare.
From "Before Nights Falls" to "Biutiful," Bardem has earned awards and critical plaudits for headlining gritty indie dramas.
That may change. Bardem tells the Los Angeles Times that he's been approached by director Sam Mendes to menace Daniel Craig in Bond 23.
"I’m a huge fan of the James Bond saga,” Bardem told the Times. “When I was little, I went watching Mr. Connery doing James Bond with my father. Who in the world would think I’d be in one of those movies?”
Get this — he may bite.
"They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic,” Bardem said. “I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes, but it’s not that obvious. Everything is more nuanced. It’s very intriguing.”
Not that Bardem doesn't have experience playing the heavy. He memorably terrorized a large swath of the Southwest in the Coen Brothers 2007 Oscar winner "No Country for Old Men."
Here's hoping he doesn't have to sport the same Prince Valiant haircut this time.
Long delayed because of MGM's money problems, Bond 23 will finally go into production later this year and premiere Nov. 9, 2012.
