No Time to Die: The Internet Thinks Rami Malek Is Playing Dr. No

Dr. No, time to die?

Some 007 fans have theorized that Rami Malek is, in fact, playing a rebooted version of Dr. No, the original Bond baddie from the 1962 movie of the same name, in the upcoming No Time to Die.

Several spectators have taken to social media to draw comparisons between Malek's supervillain Safin and Joseph Wiseman's Dr. Julius No, highlighting similarities and connections between the pair, though nothing official has been said on the matter as of yet.

From the outset, there have been some apparent parallels between the plot of Dr. No, the first film in the franchise, and No Time to Die, the final Bond film starring Daniel Craig as 007. In the original storyline, Bond was dispatched to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent, with the trail eventually leading him towards No's underground lair. Whereas the upcoming plot sees Bond's peaceful retirement in Jamaica interrupted when his CIA friend Felix Leiter tracks him down seeking help to rescue a kidnapped scientist in a mission that gives rise to "a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."

A further point of interest has been the title of the 25th Bond movie, as a number of people have been placing the emphasis on the word "No", suggesting there is a missing punctuation mark and the title should actually read: "No, time to die." If Malek's mysterious character turns out to be Dr. No in this film, then there is every chance that Bond could utter this line of dialogue in their prospective showdown.

The promotional material for No Time to Die has continued to spark the secret villain speculation, as Universal Pictures released six brand-new character posters on Tuesday, picturing Malek in a long, dark coat with a similar collar style to the kimono outfits prominent in Dr. No's wardrobe. Malek's hands are also obscured from view, which is intriguing since Dr. No is known to have prosthetic hands.

Dr. No Reddit Fan Art


Giving even more credence to the Reddit fan art, the official No Time to Die trailer continues to fuel rumours, as Malek's hands remain out of shot or concealed beneath black gloves throughout the footage.

Moreover, when Bond eventually comes face-to-face with Safin, he declares, "History isn't kind to men who play God" - a line of dialogue that appears to connect with 007's earlier interaction with Dr. No, as he once explained to his opponent, "World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon. Or God."

While some of the dots still don't align on this theory, fans have been correct with their assumptions in the past, as many correctly identified Christoph Waltz's "Franz Oberhauser" as Bond's archnemesis Ernest Stavro Blofeld in Spectre.

So if you want to dig a little deeper into this concept before the release of No Time to Die in April 2020, we suggest you read more about Rami Malek's supervillain and check out everything we know about Bond 25, including plot details, shooting locations and specifics on the cast and crew.


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