Aaron Taylor-Johnson is James Bond. No, wait, that should be… Is Aaron Taylor-Johnson James Bond? British tabloid The Sun sure seems to think so. According to their insider “source,” the role is “Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.”
EON Productions, the franchise’s long-term production company, is allegedly on the verge of making the casting official. “As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement,” said The Sun‘s supposed source.
The news that Taylor-Johnson has apparently been cast as 007 behind the scenes has spread like wildfire, but given that we’ve previously heard similar stories like this about other actors in the past, it’s best to retain a healthy sense of skepticism. Producer Barbara Broccoli did just admit in February 2024 that “nothing is happening yet” on the casting front.
Whether it’s true or not, though, what this has revealed is that people are very divided on the idea of Taylor-Johnson, formerly of Kick-Ass and Avengers: Age of Ultron fame and soon-to-be star of Kraven the Hunter, becoming our new Bond. A glimpse on social media will reveal that many don’t believe the actor has quite the right vibe for the character. Here, then, are (00)7 actors who would leave the fandom more stirred and less shaken if they ever got the gig.
Tom Hardy
Well, this one goes without saying, since it feels like people have been wanting Tom Hardy to become Bond for about as long as Daniel Craig played him. He’s got the look, the grit, the voice… You don’t need me to explain it to you. Clearly, if producers actually have landed upon Taylor-Johnson, then they got the wrong leading man from Sony’s Spider-Man franchise, as Venom‘s Hardy is right there.
Theo James
Full disclosure, I didn’t quite see the interest in having Theo James be James Bond… until Netflix’s The Gentlemen came along. The Guy Ritchie gangster series is truly James’ 007 audition, as he plays an aristocrat with a military background who develops affinity for death and violence — that’s basically Bond’s biography to a tee. And, like Hardy, he definitely has the voice. Kaya Scodelario knows it, and so do you.
Leo Woodall
From one The White Lotus star to another, Leo Woodal is another one who just got renewed appreciation thanks to his own Netflix show — the weepy romantic drama One Day. That’s a far cry from Bond, but Woodall’s turn in Citadel means he’s already dipped his toes into the spy genre. We love Joseph Quinn, but Woodall was WGTC’s low-key favorite to play Marvel’s Human Torch in The Fantastic Four. So let him have Bond as a conciliation prize.
Idris Elba
At this point, Idris Elba has been deflecting questions about being the next Bond for so long that he might run screaming at the idea of actually playing the part if EON ever did give him a call. And, yes, at 51 years old, he’s probably too old to lead the franchise for the next 10-15 years. So how about simply casting him for a standalone film before finding another, younger, new guy?
Henry Cavill
Just like Elba (and maybe Hardy too), it just feels criminal if Elba and Cavill went through their entire acting careers without ever playing Bond. In Cavill’s case, he’s come closer than practically anyone, narrowly losing out to Craig for Casino Royale and playing a multitude of Bond stand-ins ever since. He’s probably far too busy to stick to 007 long-term, but again like Elba, a one-off Cavill Bond movie would be thrilling to see.
Richard Madden
Now that Marvel appears to have officially booted him into the sun, what with Eternals 2 reportedly getting canned, Richard Madden appears free to pick up the Walther-PPK as 007 No. 7. From Game of Thrones to Bodyguard to Citadel, Madden has proven time and time again that he has the charisma, style, and screen presence to be a truly exceptional incarnation of the super-spy.
Regé-Jean Page
Regé-Jean Page’s star is slightly on the wane now, given that his time on Bridgerton was years ago and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves doesn’t seem to have sprouted a franchise, but let’s not forget how perfect this guy is for Bond. It’s tradition for the series to switch between a “serious” Bond and a “lighter” one — from Connery to Moore to Dalton to Brosnan to Craig — so what we need now is an actor who can be the anti-Craig. Suaver, more assured, a Bond less prone to angst and one who is simply a fun character to spend time with. I’m not saying he would be the best Bond out of all these actors, but Page could be the best Bond for right now. Sorry, Aaron, maybe stick to Kraven.