No Time to Die star Rami Malek is adding fuel to the rumor fire that his villain Lyutsifer Safin is in fact classic James Bond villain Dr. No. The 25th installment in the ongoing James Bond film franchise will see Daniel Craig return as the MI6 agent better known as 007 for one more film after beginning the role in 2006's series reboot Casino Royale. The cast will also see the returns of Léa Seydoux as Spectre love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Quartermaster "Q," Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld, Ralph Fiennes as M, and Rory Kinnear as Tanner.

The story for the film picks up five years after the capture of Blofeld with Bond having left active service, only to be drawn in as Felix enlists his help in the search for a missing scientist, putting him in the path of a villain whose schemes could result in the death of millions. Despite initially expressing hesitance to return to the role after Spectre, Craig confirmed he would play Bond for No Time to Die as his final outing. Development took a longer path than his prior outings as multiple directors came and went when Sam Mendes elected not to return, with Danny Boyle attached for a time before departing over creative differences and Cary Joji Fukunaga signing on to help rewrite and direct.

Related: Why Madeleine Swann Is The Biggest Threat To Bond (Not Safin Or Blofeld)

With just a couple of months left until the film's arrival, Malek caught up with Total Film to discuss No Time to Die. When the conversation turned to the ongoing rumors of his villain secretly being Dr. No, the Oscar winner played coy but did say, "I would never shoot something like [those rumors] down. It’s intriguing." And, when asked which Bond films he watched in preparation for his role, Malek cheekily said, "Only Dr. No."

Rami Malek as Safin in James Bond No Time To Die

Though Malek's teasing may not be too different from his previous comments on the film, the fact that he hasn't given up and leaned in one direction or the other is sure to be enticing for those hoping to see him portray Dr. No. With No Time to Die set to be Craig's final outing as Bond, facing a villain who is both intelligent and destructive in his actions would be a good way to send off his iteration of the character. Not to mention, given that Craig's first portrayal of the role worked as a semi-origin story for the super spy, it would be an intriguing full-circle story to see Dr. No debut in a modern setting.

With Christoph Waltz's Blofeld also confirmed to return, the story definitely dictates the need for a villain who won't be outshined by the Spectre antagonist. Since Skyfall saw a completely original villain created for the films who proved to be one of the biggest threats to Bond, Malek's Safin could very well stand on his own as a new iteration of Dr. No. Audiences will be able to see what Malek's villain has in store when No Time to Die arrives on October 8 in the U.S.

More: What James Bond Needs To Do To Fix The Franchise After No Time To Die

Source: Total Film

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