LONDON ā Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the latest actor reportedly offered a license to kill and succeed Daniel Craig as the new James Bond.
The āKick-Assā star is no stranger to action movies and at 33 is a good age to join the franchise, as producers likely want a 10 year commitment to the role.
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Since Craig announced that he was hanging up his tuxedo after five outings as 007 ā the last being āNo Time to Dieā in 2021 ā there has been frenzied speculation over which actor will take the coveted role.
Bond producers have not commented on the Taylor-Johnson rumors.
Speculating about the next Bond is a frequent subject (sometimes even before the job is available), leading British actors to adopt various strategies and responses when the topic comes up.
One of the foremost names in the frame over the past few years has been Idris Elba, though producer Barbara Broccoli said in 2022 that the āLutherā star had ruled himself out.
āHe apparently has said heās out,ā she told The Associated Press. āWe love Idris and heās been a wonderful friend and we love him as an actor. But I think he feels like a, you know, 10- or 12-year commitment or 15-year commitment might be a bit too much for him.ā
āYou know, itās a rumor thatās stuck with me,ā Elba said in 2023. āI think Iām the most famous āBondā actor that never actually played the part. So, what can I say? Iāll take that.ā
Elba has high profile fans including Matt Damon. āI think heās brilliant. Iāll watch him in anything and he makes everything heās in better and he would make that franchise better.ā
āInceptionā and āDunkirkā star Tom Hardy was touted as the next Bond back in 2015, though he claimed to have āheard nothingā about press speculation.
āI think answering something like that means immediately youāre out of the running. So there goes my spot,ā he joked.
Luke Evans, who has starred in a wide variety of movies and TV series from āThe Hobbitā to āBeauty and the Beastā to āNine Perfect Strangers,ā felt his dream of playing Bond has slipped away.
āBy the time they cast it again, Iāll be too old,ā the 44-year-old actor told The Associated Press in 2022.
Richard Madden brushed off rumors about his involvement in Bond at a press conference for āRocket Manā in Cannes back in 2019.
āItās very flattering to be involved in that conversation at all. But itās all just talk and Iām sure next week youāll be someone different,ā he laughed.
Other names connected with the role in recent years include RegĆ©-Jean Page, who shot to fame in āBridgertonā as the Duke of Hastings, Theo James, who earned an Emmy nomination for his role in āThe White Lotus,ā and Henry Golding, star of āCrazy Rich Asians.ā
Every time Golding has appeared on a red carpet wearing a tuxedo, rumors swirl about him being the next 007, but he remains tight-lipped.
āItās a cultural icon. Thatās all I can say,ā he smiled.