Summary

• The Boys writer Garth Ennis and artist Rapha Lobosco are bringing fans a new James Bond: 007 series.
• Asked who he'd like to see play Bond, Ennis names an A-list Inglourious Basterds actor.
• James Bond: 007 is coming from Dynamite Comics January 17, 2024.

As Dynamite's James Bond: 007 series approaches, writer Garth Ennis has shared his thoughts on the secret agent, and the Inglourious Basterds actor he'd like to see play him on film. With Bond's fate up in the air following Daniel Craig leaving the role, fans love debating who will be the next 007, with Ennis choosing an A-list star.

Talking to AIPT, Ennis - who is creating the new James Bond: 007 comic alongside artist Rapha Lobosco - talks about sticking close to Ian Fleming's original novels, with a colder, more monstrous Bond. Ennis says that the movies contain "a toned down version of the character in the books," but names Skyfall as a highlight of the franchise, arguing "it's the first time you had a sense of a guy fighting for something that was real to him." Asked who he'd like to see tackle the character next on-screen, Ennis answers:

Probably [Michael] Fassbender. I really liked his "fatal Englishman" character in Inglorious Bastards [sic], you could definitely tell that guy had been up to some unpleasant s--t.

Ennis repeated the sentiment in an interview with Comicon.com, saying:

I think Michael Fassbender. If you think back to the guy he played in Inglorious Bastards [sic] and extrapolate, I reckon he’d be an excellent Bond.

Garth Ennis Chooses Michael Fassbender to Play James Bond

The Boys Creator Praises Fassbender's Inglourious Basterds Role

In Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, Fassbender plays Lieutenant Archie Hicox - a British officer who aids in Operation Kino, but tragically gives the group away (and dies) in the film's iconic tavern scene. Most recently, Fassbender starred in David Fincher's The Killer. As a lethal, cold-hearted assassin, Fassbender gets incredibly close to Ennis' vision of Bond, however without the stylish clothes that tend to define 007, with the unnamed The Killer character explaining he strives to look like a German tourist to avoid attention.

According to actor Tim Roth, Inglourious Basterds' Lieutenant Hicox is the great-great grandson of The Hateful Eight's villainous Pete Hicox (aka Oswaldo Mobray), played by Roth. Many such familial connections exist across Tarantino's movies.

Garth Ennis' James Bond Is a Darker Figure

Ennis' Comic Takes Inspiration from the Books, Not the Movies

Ennis makes it clear throughout the interview that while his comic and the famous movie franchise have the same inspiration in Fleming's books, the end result is far different. Ennis explains his Bond "is the British establishment’s killing machine, and as such is unlikely to be a model citizen." The comic's initial arc, 'Your Cold, Cold Heart,' will see Bond dealing with the fallout from a mission-gone-wrong handled by a previous 00 agent. The story involves a deadly weapon that can instantly freeze its victims and includes iconic characters M and Moneypenny.

From The Boys to Preacher to Crossed, Ennis is known for his bleak, nihilistic perspective and uncompromising violence. Those ingredients will make for a truly scary James Bond, though 007 fans will also be excited to see whether Ennis' preference for Inglourious Basterds' Michael Fassbender has any chance of manifesting on the big screen.

James Bond: 007 is coming from Dynamite Comics January 17, 2024.

Source: Chris Coplan, AIPT; Tom Smithyman, Comicon.com