The next James Bond: Unusual picks enter the race
Speculation over the next James Bond is intensifying as the iconic franchise prepares for its first new lead since Daniel Craig stepped down.
Director Denis Villeneuve is set to helm the upcoming 007 film, with producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman attached, News.Az reports, citing AP.
The key question remains: who will take on the role?
The casting process—now handled by Amazon MGM Studios after the Broccoli family gave up creative control—has remained tightly guarded, despite widespread speculation.
Among bookmakers’ favorites are Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. However, with a new era beginning, some suggest expanding the search beyond the usual frontrunners and considering more unconventional choices for the next 007.
Steve Buscemi
What? Are you telling me you wouldn’t watch Steve Buscemi as James Bond? It would instantly become the most anticipated movie of the year. The people are already clamoring for it. If the pope can be American, so too can James Bond.
Sandra Hüller
It’s already become quite clear that there isn’t much Hüller can’t do. She can do the most serious of dramas (“The Zone of Interest,” “Anatomy of a Fall”) and a wide range of comedies (the recent “Project Hail Mary,” “Toni Erdmann”). More than most movie stars today, she has the seductive, deadly melancholy of Bond — plus she’d deliver a great 007 karaoke scene.
Hugh Laurie
Producers reportedly want a younger Bond, but an older one might actually give them more new ground to cover. This is a franchise past 50, so a 007 in their 60s is hardly farfetched. Laurie has dabbled in spy thrillers (most notably the John le Carré adaptation “The Night Manager”). We know from “House” that he has a terrific bedside manner in life-or-death situations. And he’s a comic genius who can wear a suit.
Tony Hale
Again: You’re telling me you wouldn’t watch this? Buster Bluth, Forky, James Bond. It’s a seamless trajectory.
Dominic West
West auditioned for Bond when Craig was ultimately cast, but I don’t see why the 56-year-old isn’t still a good option. He has the charm and the roguish smile that would make him a legitimate heir to Sean Connery. He’s played a British spy before, in, um, Rowan Atkinson’s “Johnny English Reborn.” And we already associate him, thanks to “The Wire,” with real police work. Imagine if an actor from “The Wire” got the role and it wasn’t Idris Elba.
Aaron Pierre
OK, now we’re getting serious. I think Pierre, the 31-year-old British actor, is such an overwhelmingly natural fit that I’m surprised he hasn’t already been cast. As much as I’d like to see some less obvious candidates (I didn’t even mention Melissa McCarthy or Sacha Baron Cohen), Pierre’s suave poise makes him an ideal James Bond. Watch “Rebel Ridge” and tell me he doesn’t have all the ingredients. Unless Buscemi steps forward, Pierre should get the role.
By Nijat Babayev
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