AceShowbiz -

Kenneth Branagh has expressed interest in becoming the next James Bond villain. According to the Mirror, the 57-year-old Oscar-nominated actor and filmmaker said that it would be "delicious to play" a Bond villain.

"I think as an actor that is always delicious to play...I am a connoisseur of those Bond villains," the "Murder on the Orient Express" star and director said. "But it is a hard one to do," he continued, before revealing that he "loved Javier Bardem in 'Skyfall'."

Branagh went on to acknowledge that Daniel Craig's Bond villains have been "almost Shakespearean." He added, "That franchise has been great at responding to the way audiences want to receive the material. That is not trying to be a cartoon - they want to have as much complication as possible."

If Branagh were to nab a villain role, he would be the first British villain in a Bond movie in 17 years since Toby Stephens's Gustav Graves became the antagonist in Pierce Brosnan's "Die Another Day" in 2002.

Despite throwing his name into the hat for the 007 film franchise, Branagh has already been tapped to reprise his role as detective Hercule Poirot in a sequel of "Murder on the Orient Express" titled "Death on the Nile". It remains to be seen if the actor scores a villain role in the next James Bond film, which is expected to hit cinemas on November 8, 2019.

Craig has been confirmed to return for "Bond 25". The film is said to be in scripting stages with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade serving as screenwriter. No director has been named as of now, but previous report suggested that "Sherlock" helmer Paul McGuigan, "White Boy Rick" helmer Yann Demange, "Arrival" director Denis Villeneuve and David Mackenzie, the filmmaker behind last year's "Hell or High Water", were in the mix of filmmakers eyed by producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions.