Elvis and Dune star Austin Butler says it would be "sacrilegious" to play James bond, but wouldn't mind being a villain: "No calls as far as that goes, but I love that man"

Fans are desperate to know who will be the next James Bond now that there's a new 007 film in the works, but they shouldn't look Austin Butler's way. The Elvis star has taken himself out of the running to play the British agent, and for good reasons.

The actor was asked about the iconic role because of his previous experience working with Denis Villeneuve, who is set to direct the upcoming James Bond film. Butler played Feyd-Rautha in Villeneuve's acclaimed sequel Dune: Part Two.

"No calls as far as that goes, but I love that man,” he told Hits Radio UK, referring to the Canadian filmmaker.

"Would I play James Bond? I don't think that would be a good idea. Because I’m an American. I can do an accent but that would be kind of sacrilegious," Butler explained.

"Those movies meant so much to me, but I think that it’s gotta be somebody who is from your own country," he added.

Perhaps not James Bond, but the actor would be up to play the villain in the upcoming movie. After the Dune sequel, we have no doubts that he could do an amazing job in a villain role. "That would be alright. I’d do that," Butler said.

Last weekend, another American actor, Glen Powell, rejected the idea of playing Bond for similar reasons. "I’m Texan. A Texan should not play James Bond," he said. "My family and I joke around, I can play Jimmy Bond, but I should not be playing James Bond. Get an authentic Brit for that job. That’s who belongs in that tuxedo."

Meanwhile, in the UK, Tom Holland downplayed speculation that he might be the next James Bond, asking to keep rumors "to a minimum for now" during an interview. "Every young British actor, it's the pinnacle of working in our industry," he said. "I already consider myself to be the luckiest kid alive. I could never have dreamed to have the career that I've had."

Other names on the table right now are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Jacob Elordi, but nothing has been confirmed yet. The last Bond movie was 2021's No Time to Die, which saw Daniel Craig saying goodbye to the character after fifteen years.

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will pen the script of the new film. In an interview, Knight teased the upcoming Bond movie, saying: "I’m hoping that being a Bond fan for so many years, that will sort of be imbued into me and I’ll be able to produce something that’s the same but different and better and stronger and bolder."

While we wait for more updates, check out our list of the best upcoming movies, and our guide to the biggest 2025 movie release dates.