Chiwetel Ejiofor wowed audiences with his stirring and hard-to-watch performance in Steve McQueen's Oscar-winning '12 Years a Slave,' and now, naturally, he's on multiple studios' radars for major upcoming films. While he's previously been rumored to be up for 'Star Wars: Episode 7,' word is he's now being eyed to play the new James Bond villain in the upcoming 'Bond 24.'

Javier Bardem was truly a sight to behold as the villain in 'Skyfall,' and now The Wrap reports that, while the studio has not made an official offer, sources are insisting Ejiofor is the top candidate for the 'Bond 24' antagonist. The actor previously played a villain in 'Children of Men' and 'Four Brothers,' and we're intrigued to see such a talented actor bring the fire to the next baddie to plague MI6.

Daniel Craig, of course, will reprise his role as 007 in 'Bond 24' alongside Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw, and Sam Mendes, despite some earlier drama about returning, will indeed direct the next installment. The film currently has a release date set for November 6, 2015, and MGM and Sony are planning to kick off production this summer. Official plot details and title are still unknown, and hopefully you weren't fooled a couple of weeks ago with that fake teaser trailer making the rounds online. Sony did officially confirm that was a fake, so don't expect the film to be called 'Come and Die' just yet.

Aside from 'Bond 24,' Ejiofor also joined the cast of the already star-studded 'Triple Nine,' and he's currently filming 'Z for Zachariah' opposite Chris Pine.

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