Javier Bardem interested in playing Bond 23 villain, LA Times says

The Los Angeles Times, in its Awards Tracker weblog, says Javier Bardem is interested in playing the villain in Bond 23, due out in November 2012. An exerpt:

Oscar nominee Javier Bardem is notoriously difficult when it comes to getting him to commit to a film, but he admits he has just been offered a part that will be hard to turn down.

Bardem recently met with director Sam Mendes to talk about playing the villain in the next James Bond film, temporarily titled “James Bond 23” and set for a Nov. 9, 2012, release.

The actor, who is Oscar-nominated for his lead work in the Spanish-language drama “Biutiful” and who won in 2008 for another villainous role in “No Country for Old Men,” hasn’t said yes to Mendes — yet. He wants to read the screenplay first.

(A shoutout to “Mark” who brought this to our attention in a response to a previous post.)