Ralph Fiennes in Bond 23?

Ralph Fiennes is being lined up as one of the stars of the next James Bond movie - reports the Daily Mail.

According to the paper, "his Hollywood representatives are in discussions with the producers and director Sam Mendes about a role in the film that so far is known only as James Bond 23. Mendes, who will direct Daniel Craig as Bond and Judi Dench as M, has spoken to Fiennes about taking on what has been described to me as ‘a darkly complex’ role."

"Fiennes is not interested in the usual run-of-the-mill action picture, but he was intrigued when he was told of Mendes’s ‘revolutionary’ plans for Bond 23."

‘It’s the first of a new generation of Bond films, and the ideas Mendes has push the film into darker territory where the characters are modern, mature and challenging,’ a film executive in Los Angeles connected to the production told the paper.

At the moment, the situation with Fiennes is purely at the discussion stage. Fiennes was approached because ‘the part is one of extreme complexity and only an actor of great ability and dexterity can take it on — and Ralph’s name is top of our list’.

The paper claims it’s not the same part that’s being talked about for Javier Bardem.