Daily Times

With its spring shoot fast approaching, Eon and MGM have begun bringing back familiar faces for the next James Bond film as Lea Seydoux is set to reprise her “Spectre” role as psychologist Madeleine Swann, a source confirmed to Variety.

Daniel Craig is already on board to return, with Cary Joji Fukunaga writing and directing the pic.

Craig is currently shooting Rian Johnson’s thriller “Knives Out” and Fukunaga is still finishing the Bond 25 script, but insiders say producers have already begun building out the film’s ensemble. Besides Seydoux, Eon is looking for two other actresses — one would play an MI6 agent who works with Bond and another a mystery women — as well as the Bond villain.

According to insiders, Rami Malek was being eyed for the villain role, but his schedule on the last season of “Mr. Robot,” which shoots from March through July, makes it unlikely that he will be able to take the gig, even if Eon offered him the part.

MGM will release the film on Feb. 14, 2020 through a partnership with Annapurna Pictures. Universal will handle international distribution.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.