Austin Butler recently spoke about the prospects of being the next James Bond. Notably, in June 2025, it was announced that Denis Villeneuve would helm the next 007 feature, the 26th entry in the franchise. Butler previously worked with Villeneuve on Dune: Part Two (2024), portraying the character of Feyd-Rautha.
Austin Butler wants to play the villain in Denis Villeneuve’s James Bond movie
Butler dismissed the casting speculations about playing James Bond in Denis Villeneuve’s movie. “No calls as far as that goes, but I love that man [Villeneuve],” he said during an interview with Hits Radio UK. “Would I play James Bond? I don’t think that would be a good idea. Because I’m an American. I could do an accent but I think that would be kind of sacrilegious,” he added.
The Academy Award nominee further stated that the iconic character should be played by an English actor. “Those movies meant so much to me, but I think that it’s gotta be somebody who is from [England],” he elaborated.
However, Butler expressed his interest in becoming a villain in yet another Villeneuve project after Dune: Part Two. He said, “Villain? That would be alright. I’d do that.”
This is in line with what Glen Powell said about James Bond casting rumors surrounding him. “A Texan should not play James Bond,” the Anyone but You star told The Hollywood Reporter.
The James Bond franchise is based on the titular spy created by author Ian Fleming. Over the years, six actors have portrayed 007 in the features produced by Eon Productions. They are Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Among them, Connery was Scottish, Lazenby is Australian, and Brosnan is Irish. Meanwhile, Dalton is British. So, there is a precedent of non-English actors portraying the character.
The last James Bond film, No Time to Die, came out in 2021. The most recent actor to play Bond is Daniel Craig. At the time of this article’s composition, the studios have not announced who will succeed Craig.