Mark Strong May Be Training For James Bond 25

Screen Rant

Mark Strong May Be Training For James Bond 25 [Updated]

By Sandy Schaefer

Published Jun 21, 2018

Mark Strong may be preparing to play a role in the untitled James Bond 25, based on a new video posted by his personal trainer.

Mark Strong may be preparing for a role in James Bond 25, based on a new video posted by his personal trainer. Strong, of course, is best known for playing villains in films ranging from Matthew Vaughn joints like Stardust and Kick-Ass to Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes and Andrew Stanton's John Carter. Naturally, the actor doesn't only stick to evil-doers and has portrayed the good guy in films like the Sacha Baron Cohen action/comedy The Brothers Grimsby and Vaughn's Kingsman comic book movie series. He's no stranger to the spy genre either, thanks to his roles in those latter films.

Fittingly, Strong will be playing the antagonist yet again in next spring's DC superhero movie, Shazam! It's looking like Shazam! won't be the actor's only tentpole effort in 2019 either, now that his trainer Giacomo Farci has posted a social media video indicating that Strong is getting ready to play a role in the next (and currently untitled) Bond film. But if that's the case, will Strong play a friend or foe to Daniel Craig's 007?

The clip that Farci posted to his Instagram account doesn't flat-out confirm that Strong is getting ready to play a role in James Bond 25. It does, however, show Strong hard at work getting in physical shape for a "new project". More importantly, Farci tagged the video with several Bond-related hashtags, including Craig himself, Bond 25, Danny Boyle (who's now confirmed to direct Bond 25), and longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.

UPDATE: Farci has taken the video down and re-uploaded it to his social media accounts, but without the Bond-related hashtags. You can check out a screenshot of his original video post below:

Assuming Farci's clip means Strong is part of the Bond 25 cast, it's worth noting the video doesn't actually specify what his role will be. Strong could just as easily be training to play the main villain's muscle (similar to the role Dave Bautista tackled in the last Bond movie, 2015's Spectre) as he could be preparing to play the big bad himself, or even one of 007's fellow British secret agents. It's rumored that Helena Bonham Carter is the top pick to play Bond 25's big bad, indicating the character is written as a woman. However, since nothing has been confirmed on that front just yet, Strong shouldn't be ruled out as a contender for the film's main antagonist.

Whatever the case may be, Strong would be a great addition to the Bond 25 cast. The caliber of talent circling the film is further a testament to Bond 25's potential to return the franchise to the artistic heights reached by Craig-led installments like Casino Royale and Skyfall, following the lukewarm reception to Spectre three years ago. With Boyle directing and Strong and Carter possibly costarring, Bond 25 might yet prove to be something special - and the perfect way for Craig to end his run on the franchise, as seems to be the plan.