Javier Bardem Offered ‘James Bond 23’ Role [Updated]

[UPDATE: Bardem says he could play the villain in the new James Bond movie]

Hold your horses, Dark Tower fans, the role of gunslinger Roland Deschain may not belong to Javier Bardem just yet. The multiple Oscar-nominee (and one-time winner) has reportedly received an offer to star in yet another upcoming, high-profile flick – next year’s James Bond movie.

The word is that Bardem has been approached to play a significant role in 007’s next venture and the obvious guess would be that of Mr. Bond’s latest nemesis. If that is the case, be prepared to hear lots of jokes about Bardem’s No Country for Old Men character (and hairdo), should he decide to sign on.

Details concerning the plot of the 23rd James Bond are being kept under wraps, though it’s expected to pick up shortly after the events of Quantum of Solace – with both Daniel Craig and Judi Dench officially set to reprise their roles as the titular secret agent and his boss, “M.” Deadline broke the story about Bardem having been approached to star in the film, which will be directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes and is expected to begin production in the latter half of 2011.

It’s been an overall eventful week for Bardem: he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Biutiful, has been approached to appear in both Ron Howard’s Dark Tower adaptation and the new James Bond, and (most significantly) became a father as his wife, actress Penelope Cruz, gave birth. Dark Tower is being planned as a film trilogy and TV series, so the time commitment alone could inspire the new family man to pass on the Stephen King project and sign up for the next Bond pic instead.

UPDATE: Bardem has confirmed to the LA Times that he’s been approached to play the villain in the new James Bond flick, which he says is “more nuanced. It’s very intriguing… They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic.”

Bardem is very much a powerhouse actor who always turns in a worthwhile performance, even when the rest of the film is only sub-par (not to mention names, but… Love in the Time of Cholera). That he was able to be so chilling and terrifying as the murderous Anton Chigurh in the Coen Brothers’ 2007 Oscar-winner while looking the way he did was no small feat. The idea of Bardem donning a much more slick and sophisticated outfit (and haircut) to portray Mr. Bond’s new foe is all the more enticing for it.

It seems very unlikely that Bardem won’t either saddle up for Dark Tower or accept the James Bond offer at the end of the day. Look to hear an official announcement about the Spanish thespian’s next move in the very near future.

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Update Source: LA Times