Sam Mendes, the director of 1917 and Skyfall, suggested that Roma coach Jose Mourinho would be a strong pick for the next James Bond villain.
The 59-year-old Portuguese coach is known to be one of the more entertaining figures in the world of football, with his snappy press conference remarks and touchline antics often generating discussion and amusement. Mourinho took over at Roma in the summer of 2021 and guided them to their first ever European title in the Europa Conference League.
Speaking to The Guardian, Mendes was asked who would make the next best villain in a James Bond film.
“I have no idea. They’ve made it so difficult for themselves for two reasons. One is they turned the franchise into something extraordinary with Daniel Craig. If you think about the actors that might have been up for the role after Pierce Brosnan, a lot of people would have said, ‘No way.’
“They would not have even been considered for the role, not wanted to be considered for the role. Now, there’s barely an actor in the world who would turn it down. And that’s because of Daniel and because what’s happened to the franchise since. So that’s a great thing.
“The bad thing is he’s dead. You tell me how they get out of that one. I want to ask, ‘How would you get out of it?’ As for a great Bond villain? José Mourinho. You can’t get better than that can you?”
The 59-year-old Mourinho was in the headlines recently after reports suggested that the Portuguese national team were keen to appoint him to replace Fernando Santos. The Giallorossi coach turned down the opportunity, wanting to devout his full attention to the project in the Italian capital.
The Portuguese coach has also sparked controversy this season after indirectly accusing Rick Karsdorp of being unprofessional.