If you’re in line to play James Bond, stay in line. Despite reports to the contrary, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has not been offered the highly sought-after gig to replace Daniel Craig as 007. At least, not just yet.
The rumor mill started churning Tuesday after a report from The Sun claimed that the Bullet Train actor had been “formally offered” the role of James Bond and that he would “sign a contract this week.” A source allegedly told the British outlet that “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.”
However, according to E! News, that’s not exactly true. Per E!, a source with knowledge says that Taylor-Johnson has not been offered the Bond role. But while there may not be an official offer on the table, E! teases that “the opportunity may be in front of Aaron soon,” reporting that Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has previously suggested that the next era of the Bond franchise is expected to begin filming at some point this year.
“We’re working out where to go with him,” Broccoli said regarding Bond at a private BFI event in 2022. “It’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
Craig took over the iconic role from Pierce Brosnan with 2006’s Casino Royale. He played Bond in five films, ending with 2021’s No Time to Die—the same film where Lashana Lynch made history as the first Black woman to inherit the title of 007, though her character was not technically the new James Bond. In 2022, Broccoli and her half-brother producing partner Michael G. Wilson told Variety that they were in the “early days” of looking for an actor to replace Craig, somebody who could lead the franchise for a decade. “When we cast Bond, it’s a 10-, 12-year commitment,” Broccoli said at the time. “So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everybody wants to do that.”
It seems like Taylor-Johnson might. In an interview for Vanity Fair’s 2023 Hollywood Issue, Johnson addressed the Bond rumors head-on, calling them “flattering” while tempering expectations. “You can have something really positive [written about you], but you can also have something really negative that can circulate,” he said. “You just want to stay in your lane, stay grounded, stay around the people that you love and love you back, and stay in that world. Because the moment you start believing the shit people say about you, you’ve lost your fucking mind. You’ve lost it.”
The lack of concrete news regarding Bond’s next era might be good news for a few other Bond hopefuls. In the same Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue, Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page also called rumors that he too was being considered to play Bond “flattering,” but, like Taylor-Johnson, said that he prefers to focus on the present. “It’s not a thing that is fully occupying my thoughts,” he said. “I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment. I worry about the work I have, not other people’s jobs.”
Others have been less cryptic about their desire to step into the suave shoes of 007, or lack thereof. The White Lotus star Theo James told The Guardian this month that the idea of playing James Bond is “terrifying” and said that he believes “there are better people for that job.”
“If you do that, there’s no going back,” he continued. “You’re opening Pandora’s box there. You have got to be willing to live a very different life and have a different life for your family. And that would be pretty tricky.”
Former Superman and Argyle star Henry Cavill has also come up in cultural conversation about possible Bonds, as has recent Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. And then there’s perennial Bond suggestion Idris Elba. In 2022, Broccoli told Variety that she hadn’t spoken with Elba about the Bond opportunity for some time, but that she thinks Elba is “great.” “We love Idris,” she added. For his part, Elba has since shot down rumors that he’s interested in the part, telling the Wall Street Journal that he doesn’t see Bond “when he looks in the mirror.” Perhaps he should invest in a new mirror.
