'I'd really check it out': Willem Dafoe is keen to star in a James Bond film

Willem Dafoe has expressed an interest in starring in a James Bond film.

The 71-year-old actor previously lent his voice and Iikeness to villain Nikolai Diavolo in the 2004 video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing - which technically marked Pierce Brosnan's final portrayal of the legendary spy - and would be keen to appear in a Bond big-screen outing in the future, even though he has awkward early memories of the long-running franchise.

In an interview with Collider, Dafoe said: "I don’t want to send a little headline out there, but, you know, in the right situation.

"I mean, when I was a kid, I remember seeing From Russia with Love and Goldfinger when I was really young, like uncomfortable. I was young enough that the sex scenes, for example, or the romance scenes or whatever you call them, were not cool.

"They were uncomfortable for me because one of my sisters was babysitting me and couldn’t get me lost and had a date, and they took me along. And I remember I suffered through it.

"Then, I’ve watched Bond films through the years. They’re a particular thing. Yeah, it is something that might be fun to do, and I’d really check it out if they came my way."

Dafoe recalled how his unusual method of entering the James Bond universe happened extremely quickly.

The four-time Oscar nominee said: "I enjoyed doing it, but that was very early when people were making video games. Very, very early.

"I remember it was a very quick recording session. I kind of invented an accent on the spot. It was very loosey-goosey.

"But many people have told me they really enjoy it, so it’s a case of sometimes it’s good to jump in and play it loose and fast. Sometimes that has a spirit that may not be precise, but it has a spirit that really brings the character to life."

Meanwhile, film producer Amy Pascal has indicated that Daniel Craig's successor as 007 will be announced by the end of the year.

She told Deadline: "I would say the end of the year is a good bet."

Pascal, who will serve as the lead producer on the next Bond flick, explained that the creatives have been "methodical" in trying to find an actor "really different" from Craig - who bowed out as 007 in the 2021 film No Time To Die.

She explained: "We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different."