The James Bond franchise focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953 named James Bond. The films based on Bond are one of the longest continually running film series, starting in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as 007. In 2021, Daniel Craig starred in the most recent film, No Time to Die, which is the 25th installment of the franchise. Over time, Bond has been played by sixth different actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Besides 007 himself, the franchise is notable for his cars, guns, and the gadgets supplied by Q Branch, as well as the “Bond girls,” who are the various women Bond has a relationship with.
Of course, a James Bond movie isn’t without its several notorious villains. Each film featured at least one main villain, with some secondary ones. At the end of the film, some survive to come back and fight Bond again, or they are arrested. Some end up dying, either being killed by Bond himself or by someone else. While the villains are played by some well-known actors, such as Javier Bardem, Rami Malek, Sean Bean, or Christopher Walken, other notable actors were almost cast to play the iconic Bond nemesis.
10 Christopher Lee as Dr. No — Dr. No
Christopher Lee did star as a villain in the James Bond franchise, as the memorable Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun. He has an interesting relationship with the franchise, as he is the step-cousin of Fleming, the man who wrote the James Bond novels. This relationship nearly landed him a role as the first Bond villain, Dr. No. Fleming had asked Lee to take the role while playing golf, unaware that the producers had already cast Joseph Wiseman in the role.
9 Anthony Hopkins as Elliot Carver — Tomorrow Never Dies
The Silence of the Lambs star Sir Anthony Hopkins was another actor that often circled the James Bond franchise. When the time came to find a replacement for 007 after Sean Connery, Hopkins was offered the role, but he passed. Then, he was approached to play 006 in GoldenEye, a character that would be a mentor of Bond before Sean Bean took the role. In the sequel, Tomorrow Never Dies, the villain role of Elliot Carver was tailored specifically for Hopkins. However, he ended up turning it down.
8 David Bowie as Max Zorin — A View to a Kill
The 1985 film A View to a Killsees James Bond fight against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy Silicon Valley. The producers wanted to get a pop star into the cast to attract younger audiences, which is why Grace Jones ended up playing May Day, Zorin’s lover and chief henchwoman. The role of Max Zorin was offered to Mick Jagger, Sting, and, of course, David Bowie. However, Bowie turned it down because he didn’t like the script and wanted to star in Labyrinth instead. The role was then cast with Christopher Walken.
7 Jean Reno as Renard — The World is Not Enough
The 19th Bond film is The World is Not Enough, released in 1999. With Pierce Brosnan as the legendary MI6 agent, the film features an interesting twist with its villains. However, Victor “Renard” Zokas stands out as the most physically formidable villain in the film. He’s a former KGB agent, who’s now a high-tech terrorist who has become impervious to pain when a failed assassination attempt left a bullet lodged in his brain. The bullet is also slowly killing off his other senses, as well as himself. The role was first offered to Jean Reno after he gained international fame for his role in The Professional and Ronin, but he ultimately turned it down for personal reasons. Robert Carlyle ended up taking the role.
6 Al Pacino as General Medrano — Quantum of Solace
Dominic Green is the main villain in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace, but he serves someone more powerful, as he’s helping the exiled General Medrano regain power who, in return, will support Greene’s organization. While it is a supporting role in the film, Al Pacino offered to take the role as a cameo appearance only. Unfortunately, he ended up not being cast as the role was expanded beyond a small appearance. Joaquin Cosio ended up with the role instead.
5 Faye Dunaway as Octopussy — Octopussy
Released in 1983, Octopussy is the 13th installment in the James Bond franchise, with Roger Moore as Bond. Bond is assigned to follow a megalomaniacal Soviet general guilty of stealing jewelry and art from the Kremlin art repository. This leads Bond to an exiled Afghan prince and his associate, the titular Octopussy. The role of the titular villain was eventually taken by Maud Adams, but Faye Dunaway was initially cast for the role. She was a huge star at the time thanks to her roles in iconic films like Bonnie and Clyde. However, Dunaway was too expensive for the producers to include in the film.
4 Gary Oldman as Blofeld — Spectre
Spectre is the 24th installment in the Bond franchise, released in 2015 and starring Daniel Craig as Bond. The film revolves around Bond getting a cryptic message from his past, sending him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization called SPECTRE, learning a chilling connection between him and the enemy he seeks. Opposite Bond is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, his nemesis and the mastermind behind SPECTRE, who also acts as the puppeteer responsible for all the pain Bond suffered in his most recent missions. Christoph Waltz was ultimately cast for the role, but Gary Oldman was also a top choice for the part, given the countless villain roles he has played.
3 Frank Sinatra as Hugo Drax — Moonraker
Released in 1979, Moonraker is the 11th installment in the James Bond franchise, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as Bond. The film follows Bond as he investigates the disappearance of a Space Shuttle, which leads him to the main villain, Hugo Drax. Drax owns the shuttle’s manufacturing firm and plans to poison the entire human race on Earth, so he can repopulate the planet from his space station.
Michael Lonsdale takes the reins as Drax, but Frank Sinatra was actually considered for the role as well. The theme song was initially offered to Sinatra, though Shirley Bassey ended up singing it, and the producers even considered him for Bond villain role. While it is easy to imagine Sinatra’s voice singing over the credits of a Bond movie, seeing him perform as a megalomaniac villain in his space station is another story.
2 James Mason as Karl Stromberg — The Spy Who Loved Me
Released in 1997, the 10th installment in the Bond franchise is The Spy Who Loved Me and is the third film to star Roger Moore as Bond. His nemesis in this film is Karl Stromberg, a megalomaniac planning to cause World War III to destroy the world, so he can recreate a new civilization underwater. Curt Jürgens ended up taking the role, but James Mason was previously considered as he is known for his sophisticated appearance on-screen.
1 Rutger Hauer as General Orlov — Octopussy
While the title character in Octopussy is the film’s main villain, there was a secondary villain: the power-hungry Soviet warmonger, General Orlov. The role was ultimately taken by Steven Berkoff, but Rutger Hauer was considered for the role due to his roles in Blade Runner and The Hitcher. Imagine how the character would have been if the Nexus-6 replicant Roy Batty took the role.
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