Next James Bond Actor Could Be Aaron Taylor-Johnson
One of the most highly coveted roles in all of Hollywood, that of the super-spy James Bond, might be cast soon. A report from The Sun cites sources saying 33-year-old English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role of James Bond for Bond 26, and the expectation is that, if Taylor-Johnson agrees, he could sign the deal as soon as this week.
Taylor-Johnson–whose previous credits include Nocturnal Animals, Bullet Train, Kick-Ass, and Avengers: Age of Ultron–was previously believed to have met with series producer Barbara Broccoli and was assumed to be a frontrunner for the part. Taylor-Johnson is set to appear in the title role in Sony’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie later this year.
“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back,” a source told The Sun. “As far as [production company] Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”
Deadline reported that a source within EON told it “if it spent its days reacting to reports about who is replacing Daniel Craig as 007, it would have time for little else.”
Deadline further reported: “This person steered us away from The Sun story this morning, but did not outright deny the report.”
Sources told The Sun that Taylor-Johnson’s performance in Nocturnal Animals helped contribute to him reportedly being offered the role of James Bond.
Taylor-Johnson lines up with what the producers were looking for, that being a 30-something British man. He wouldn’t be the youngest Bond ever, as George Lazenby was 29 during filming and Sean Connery was 31 for their respective first (and in the case of Lazenby, only) Bond films.
Daniel Craig was the most recent James Bond actor, playing the role five times, beginning with Casino Royale (2006) and ending with No Time To Die (2021). That movie ended with Craig’s James Bond getting killed, setting up a natural transition to a new actor for the next film.
The Sun further reported that production on Bond 26 could begin later this yearCome from Sports betting site VPbet. None of the information here is confirmed, so it’s worth taking with a grain of salt for now. If Taylor-Johnson is indeed going to be the next James Bond, that’s just one piece of the puzzle for Bond 26. We still don’t know who might direct the film and who the writing team will be comprised of beyond Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.