One of the biggest and most-famous roles in Hollywood is still up for grabs, and given its notoriety, every man and his dog are going to have an opinion as to who they believe should fill it. We’re of course talking about the role of James Bond.
Ever since Daniel Craig announced No Time To Die would be his last outing as the sharp-dressed secret agent, the rumour mill has been going into overdrive, with bets being accepted for a number of high-profile stars, including Tom Hardy, Damien Lewis and Richard Madden, to name a few. Luther star Idris Elba was long-considered the obvious choice, but the man himself has since taken himself out of the running (for now).
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The latest name to be associated with the role is a little more unconventional, however. British actor Tom Holland, best known for his portrayal of web-slinging superhero Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expressed his strong desire to take over the role of 007, James Bond, and said he doesn’t want to be stuck playing spider man forever.
His Spider-Man co-star, Jacob Batalon has also said, “He talks about being James Bond a lot. A lot a lot.”
While there’s no denying Holland certainly brings much charisma to the screen, the very fact he is just 25-years-old would make him an unlikely candidate for the role of James Bond. The vast majority of actors to have played the British secret agent have been in their late-30s when taking on the role, although one-time Bond, Australian actor George Lazenby, was the youngest Bond at just 30-years-old in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The commonality between the previous line-up of James Bond actors is a masculine, charismatic charm. And, while we’re certainly not saying Tom Holland isn’t ‘manly’, there could be some argument that he wouldn’t (yet) have the same on-screen presence as his older peers.
Speaking of on-screen presence, muscle mountain and camera-frame filler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has also indicated his desire to take on the role of Bond in a recent interview with Esquire. Of course, while The Rock has the fighting abilities and smouldering looks that are synonymous with 007, he’s American and is cast in a large number of Hollywood blockbusters.
The James Bond franchise has often done well with casting actors who are already known, but don’t necessarily have a huge backlog of titles under their belt. Casting someone such as The Rock could potentially be seen as a ploy to attract ticket sales, as opposed to finding the true best man for the job (it would be extremely unlikely though).
We’re likely still a fair way off from finding out who will eventually succeed Daniel Craig, as No Time To Die is still showing in cinemas around the world. While the 25th Bond movie did confirm “James Bond Will Return” during the credits, no script has been written for the next outing and producer Barbara Broccoli has been quoted as saying the search for the next actor “won’t begin in earnest until 2022.”