From Michael Fassbender to Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill to Robin Hood: Origins star Taron Egerton, Sony and MGM will be rather spoilt for choice when it comes time to selecting the the next James Bond. Yes, despite Daniel Craig’s teases, there will come a time when both parties will have to hone in on his successor, and one British thesp who has effectively ruled himself out of the running is Sherlock and Doctor Strange‘s Benedict Cumberbatch.
That’s according to the man himself, who recently spoke with the Guardian to promote his involvement in the Johnny Depp-fronted gangster flick, Black Mass. When quizzed about Ian Fleming’s famed 00 agent, Cumberbatch remained humble, revealing that he doesn’t believe the Powers That Be would consider him for the part.
“I don’t think they’d consider me for that, to be honest,” he told the Guardian at the Black Mass London premiere. “I can wear a suit, and I can fight! I can raise my eyebrow, but that’s not what it takes to play Bond. They might want to go in very different directions, who knows? It would be fun though!”
Setting aside the actor’s eye-catching turn in BBC’s Sherlock series, it could be his ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that ultimately pull him out of consideration for James Bond – incidentally, Doctor Strange is set to enter production in London later this year – while Cumberbatch is also committed to at least another two seasons of Sherlock.
Introducing a modernized twist on Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary sleuth, the actor has been the subject of critical adoration for his performance, and while Bond is an entirely different character, we could imagine Cumberbatch nailing the part – you know, if scheduling conflicts were the stuff of hearsay.
All things considered, we wouldn’t get our hopes up for Benedict Cumberbatch one day donning the tuxedo and Walther PPK as James Bond. Spectre, meanwhile, opens in the United Kingdom and North America on October 26 and November 7, respectively.
