Source: Mi6.co.uk

French actor Mathieu Amalric has confirmed rumours that he is to play the villain in the 22nd James Bond film. Amalric confirmed his status on the production in an interview with Empire magazine. He is the first actor in years to publicly confirm his casting ahead of an official announcement.

According to Fox, for Bond 22's director Marc Forster, "Amalric is a brilliant choice. Amalric is a youthful looking 42-year-old overnight sensation, an independent French film director who only started seriously acting in films at age 30 and has suddenly been thrust into a hot career.

His character is yet to be revealed, but Eva Green gave some potential clues when "Casino Royale" was released. Back in November 2006, Green said, "[Vesper Lynd] had an Algerian boyfriend, and she's been sent on this mission, and then she begins to feel guilty. She's in love with Bond. It's a deep love. The Algerian boyfriend was something light, an affair. So there's an internal conflict. The plan is, the Algerian boyfriend is going to be the baddie in the second Bond, and we'll understand [better]. But you don't have to think about it too much. "