Casino Royale was in danger of becoming something of a joke – even though it is actually being filmed, major roles were yet to be filled. But now producers can rest easy, as Casino Royale finally has a villain.

And who will play James Bond’s evil arch-villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale? None other than Mads Mikkelsen. Who? Oh, come on, you know Mads Mikkelsen. He’s Danish, he’s was in King Arthur… no, we don’t know who he is either. Anyway, the main thing is that Casino Royale actually has a villain. Now, if they’d just hurry up and choose a Bond girl.

At a press conference yesterday, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen was
formally announced as the actor to fill the role of Le Chiffre in the
new James Bond (DVDs) film Casino Royale. While you may be shrugging your
shoulders at the name Mads Mikkelsen, any Danish readers will be
throwing their hats into the air and yelping in joy – Mikkelsen is the
biggest thing to come out of Denmark since Tiger Tunes, cartoons about
men wearing bombs as hats and some bacon.

As well as a small role in the 2004 movie King Arthur, Mikkelsen has
starred in several celebrated Danish movies including Dykkerdrengen and
Wilba Wants To Kill Himself. We’re just copying titles from IMDB here,
and we’ve no idea if he’ll be any good or not in Casino Royale, but -
frankly – we’re just pleased that anyone has got the job. After all,
the film is already halfway made.

Next on the list will be to find a Bond girl for Casino Royale.
Apparently the casting is down to "two or three," but it’s probably a
different two or three than you thought. Angelina Jolie didn’t want it, Sienna Miller didn’t want it, Charlize Theron didn’t want it, Thandie Newton and Rachel McAdams seem to have moved from the frame and thankfully the Jessica Simpson thing seems to have been a wind-up.

Not that any of that matters, of course. We’re sure that any James
Bond film with Daniel Craig running the show is bound to be a success.
And when we say ’success’ we mean ‘bone-crushing failure’.

Read more:

Mads for it: new 007 villain unveiled – Guardian 

[story by Stuart Heritage]