Reddit Thinks A Former James Bond Would Be The Perfect Bond Villain

"Who is the next James Bond?" continues to be the million dollar question for 007 fans. Each generation boasts its own unique iteration of the iconic British Secret Service agent, with a new actor stepping into the role. The last decade and change has seen Daniel Craig occupying the role, with the blonde Bond making his debut in 2006's gritty "Casino Royale." The actor continued to play the world's most popular spy until 2021's "No Time To Die," which definitively capped up his tenure as Bond.

So, the age-old question continues to persist: "Who is the next James Bond?"

The rumor mill has churned out several worthy 007 candidates. Puck News says that Barbara Broccoli, one of the key producers behind the franchise, sat down with "Kick-Ass" star Aaron Taylor-Johnson to discuss the possibly of him stepping into the role. The meeting reportedly went well. Fan-favorite Idris Elba, meanwhile, has already ruled himself out as the next James Bond (via Wall Street Journal),making the wait for the official announcement all the more difficult.

With the future of the franchise still undetermined, fans are still asking "Who is the next James Bond?"

Some fans of James Bond, when asked that very question on Reddit, don't seem to care. Instead, they're far more concerned about who'll play the villain in the next 007 flick and the answer they have is mind-boggling, meta, and kind of perfect.

Reddit user u/McWovin took to the r/Movies subreddit asking fans to share their picks for the next James Bond. While u/owlexe23 suggested Danny DeVito and u/MintOtter considered Dan Stevens to be the best possible choice, most fans aren't interested in asking that question. "Timothy Dalton as the villain is all I want," wrote user u/cube_mine, receiving over a thousand likes.

Timothy Dalton played the British Secret Service agent in 1987's "The Living Daylights" and 1989's "Licence to Kill." While Dalton received praise for his dark take on 007, the actor couldn't continue the role due to a complex legal battle. If fans would have their way, Dalton would return to the franchise as a villain. Why? Because of his devilishly delightful antagonistic turn in "Hot Fuzz." Several comments are filled with references to the 2007 action-comedy, which features Dalton as the nefarious Simon Skinner. Dalton is no stranger to playing bad guys, most recently appearing in Paramount+'s "1923" as a deadly foe.

Some fans think that the conversation should shift away from his "Hot Fuzz" role. "Everyone [is] talking about 'Hot Fuzz' and 'The Rocketeer,' and the dude played a James-Bond-style villain on the James-Bond-style show 'Chuck' too," wrote one fan. Another user chimed in by reminding commenters that Dalton played a villain in "Flash Gordon," before his stint as 007.

Will Dalton return to the franchise, this time as a foe meant to destroy James Bond? Only time will tell when the next iteration of 007 enters production. How can a former Bond be bad? User u/ramriot has an idea: "The plot twist could be that he was Bond & will try to turn the new Bond with his story of how King & country abandoned him."