As the release date for No Time to Die approaches, and the identity and motives of James Bond’s next opponent remains shrouded in mystery, one prevailing theory explaining the enigmatic Safin was recently debunked by the film’s director.
Although some fans have speculated Rami Malek’s character Safin to be the original Bond villain, Dr. No — citing such clues as the Noh mask Safin can be seen wearing in the film’s trailers in addition to the word “No” in the title — No Time to Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga officially debunked the theory. When speaking to SFX Magazine, Fukunaga explained how the difficulty of creating a believable and memorable antagonist led to Safin being developed as a new villain altogether, and one the director hopes will prove to stand the test of time.
“Everyone thinks it’s so easy to make these tentpole films, that it’s just formulaic and you just plug-and-play and people are going to show up for the cinema,” Fukunaga said. “Actually, if you want a good film you have to take it seriously and put a lot of thought into it. It takes a lot of smart people to create these films, and also to create these characters that will hopefully last. [Safin] is a new villain. He’s not, as some have speculated, Dr. No. Hopefully, he’ll be one that is lasting in some way.
What is known about Safin, however, is that he is the leader of a terrorist group whose revenge mission involving weaponized technology finds him at odds with 007 himself. In creating the villain, Fukunaga also explained during the interview the challenges of not making him laughable — perhaps justifying the decision to distance this latest Bond film from its more dated predecessors. “Anyone can be vilified or turned into a hero,” the director said. “It’s more and more difficult to create villains because it’s got to the point where they become parody, especially once Austin Powers came out in the ’90s.”
Fukunaga continued, saying, “Making a villain that doesn’t seem laughable, that you can take seriously, where it’s still frightening what they’re attempting to do and why they must be stopped, is more difficult than people actually acknowledge.”
As for characters viewers can expect to be returning in No Time to Die, among them are Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), who appears to have a connection with Safin, CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), MI6 head M (Ralph Fiennes) and MI6 gadgeteer Q (Ben Whishaw). Eager fans can glimpse deeper into the upcoming film with its recently released final trailer, which packs an arsenal of hints into big moments for what is expected to be Daniel Craig’s final performance as James Bond.
Catch No Time to Die when the twenty-fifth Bond film drops into theaters on Oct. 8.
Source: SFX Magazine
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