For your eyes only . . . Lea Seydoux is back in the next James Bond adventure.

The 33-year-old Parisian, who played psychiatrist Dr Madeleine Swann in Spectre three years ago, will feature in Bond 25, which begins filming in the spring.

Bond star Daniel Craig wanted her back — and so did film-maker Cary Joji Fukunaga, who will be directing his first Bond picture.

Fukunaga told me exclusively that 'Lea will be returning'; as will regulars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris.

The director praised the Bond Brit pack — and British thespians in general — noting that he has worked with many on past projects, including Beasts Of No Nation and Jane Eyre.

'You have some of the best actors in the world here,' he said. 'Why wouldn't I have the best coming back?!'

In Spectre, Ms Seydoux was to be found working at a private clinic nestled in the Austrian Alps. She and James Bond bonded between the sheets, and at various other exotic locations.

Hard core Bond fans will know that Maud Adams also returned to make further Bond pictures.

But unlike Seydoux, she played different characters. She was Andrea Anders in The Man With The Golden Gun in 1974; the eponymous Octopussy in 1983; and two years later had an uncredited cameo in A View To A Kill.

The 24th official Bond film, based on Ian Fleming's character, was released two years before the #MeToo campaign hit Hollywood.

So I'll be fascinated to see what tone the new screenplay by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (with major input from Fukunaga) sets, in terms of how women are treated on screen.

The release date for Bond 25 has changed. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli: “We are absolutely thrilled to be releasing Bond 25 ‪on 8 April 2020‬."

With production expected to start this spring, MGM and Eon are getting closer to deciding who will be joining Daniel Craig in his next outing as Agent 007 in the 25th James Bond movie.

Producers are continuing their search for two female roles — one a new MI6 agent and the other an accomplice similar to Olga Kurylenko’s character in “Quantum of Solace” — the main villain, and an American CIA agent similar to Jeffrey Wright’s in past installments.

Sources indicate that Billy Magnussen is the top choice to play the CIA operative that crosses paths with Bond, though it’s not known if an actual offer is on the table. Magnussen already has a working relationship with “Bond 25” writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga after recently appearing on his Netflix series, “Maniac.” Insiders say, before coming on to “Bond 25,” Fukunaga had already tried to cast him in his Leonard Bernstein pic, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, that was shelved, and that Fukunaga’s most recent draft had the character written younger to fit Magnussen’s age.

As for the villain, sources indicate there is renewed interest in tapping recent Oscar winner Rami Malek, after it was initially thought that scheduling could not be worked out with his commitments on the final season of “Mr. Robot.” Insiders say while meetings with other talent have taken place, producers never wavered on trying to land the role for Malek and have worked hard for months to accommodate both shoots.

The two female leads seem to be the most open-ended as of now. Further chemistry reads with Craig are still being scheduled, since these two characters will spend the most amount of time with him on screen. It’s unknown how far along they are in this process.

MGM had no comment regarding any news related to casting for the film.

Fukunaga turned in his recent draft at the beginning of the year, and while reports surfaced that major rewrite work was done to the script, sources say no significant changes were made, and the producers and Craig were excited with what Fukunaga had delivered.

Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, and Naomie Harris will also be reprising their roles in the new installment. A recent release date change from Feb. 14 to April 8, 2020, positioned the 25th entry in the series better for the summer season.

Universal will be handling international distribution on “Bond 25,” while MGM oversees domestic in partnership with Annapurna through the new United Artists Releasing label.

Hot off his Oscar win for Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek is in final negotiations to play the villain opposite Daniel Craig in writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga‘s Bond 25, well-placed sources tell Collider.

Variety previously reported that Malek was being eyed for the gig, but said his shooting schedule for the final season of Mr. Robot conflicted with the Bond 25 shoot, and that he was never formally offered the part by Eon. Sources tell Collider, however, that Malek’s team at WME has successfully negotiated his shooting schedule to accommodate both productions. There is no deal quite yet, but one is expected to make — the sides just wanted to wait and see whether Malek would win the Oscar, which would, of course, raise his quote.

There aren’t really any character details available, though the villain has been rumored to be a blind man. Moroccan actor Said Taghmaoui (Wonder Woman) has previously said that he was under consideration to play the Bond 25 villain when Danny Boyle was directing the film. Malek is of Egyptian descent, so I assume the script calls for a villain from Northern Africa.
Lea Seydoux is confirmed to return as psychologist Madeleine Swann, while Spectre actors Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Ralph Fiennes are also slated to reprise their roles. Scott Z. Burns was recently tapped to rewrite Fukunaga’s script, and Collider’s sources have echoed reports out of the U.K. that have the director eyeing Malek’s fellow Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o for a key role, though it’s unclear whether the actress has any interest in joining the Bond franchise. Eon’s Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are producing Bond 25, which is expected to be Craig’s last as 007.

It should be noted that Mr. Robot is produced by Universal Cable Productions, and Universal Pictures is handling international distribution on Bond 25, which will hit U.S. theaters on April 8, 2020 via MGM and Annapurna’s new joint venture United Artists Releasing. Our own esteemed editor-in-chief Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub confirmed production has been pushed from March to April. We’re not saying that shift was to accommodate Malek, but I think it certainly helped the situation. Since Mr. Robot is supposedly shooting until July, it’s possible Malek’s scenes in Bond 25 will be back-loaded, since the shoot is expected to last many months, and tentpole productions are rarely filmed in a linear fashion.

In addition to his impressive turn as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek recently starred opposite Charlie Hunnam in an underrated remake of Papillon. You’ll be able to hear him as the voice of Chee-Chee in Universal’s Robert Downey Jr. movie The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. Malek is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and representatives for the actor did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the past 48 hours.

MGM declined to comment.

In the past, Fukunaga explained his approach to It as “unconventional”, saying: “[The studio] wanted archetypes and scares. I wrote the script. They wanted me to make a much more inoffensive, conventional script. But I don’t think you can do proper Stephen King and make it inoffensive.”

Originally Posted by RichC2
After dropping both It and The Alienist, yeah, he sort of garnered a little bit of a reputation.

Maniac, True Detective and Beast of No Nations worked out because he had complete control, when he doesn't have that it doesn't seem to go well. Him and a studio system don't seem to be a very good fit.