This year marks the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise and with Daniel Craig’s explosive end to his 007 career in No Time To Die, could there be an announcement of the next actor to play Ian Fleming’s spy before 2022 ends? It’s not clear when producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson will begin their search for the next Bond if they haven’t already. However, they have confirmed planning the reboot is likely to begin in the next few months.
Broccoli told Deadline’s Crew Call podcast that the process will kick off at some point this year. They’ll focus on the storyline idea and then approach the director they think would be best to take it on.
As for the next 007 auditions, the bookies’ top favourites remain the likes of Venom’s Tom Hardy and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page. However, one star’s odds have been sliced by over 85 per cent this week.
According to William Hill, One Direction star Harry Styles has been cut from 500-1 to 66-1.
A spokesperson for the bookmakers said: “Harry Styles being reconnected to James Bond is no great surprise, considering the recent success of his appearance in Marvel’s Eternals and clear interest in pursuing more standout acting roles. Styles has made waves in every market he’s entered, whether it’s music, fashion, or acting, so he’s arguably more qualified than most other contenders when it comes to playing 007.”
DON’T MISS
Daniel Craig’s favourite James Bond star, 007 movie and next Bond view [DANIEL CRAIG]
Next James Bond: Massively overlooked contenders with incredible odds [NEXT BOND]
James Bond: Daniel Craig admits ‘train wreck’ early 007 moment [DANIEL CRAIG]
Aside from his pop star solo career with new dates for his Love On Tour UK shows announced this week, he’ll be playing Starfox in the Marvel movies and also has films Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman coming up.
The 27-year-old, who missed out on being cast as Elvis Presley in this year’s biopic, could be considered as a younger 007 in the audition process if asked by Broccoli.
Nevertheless, Styles has some tough competition in the bookies’ odds, with Superman star Henry Cavill at 8-1. He previously lost out to Craig in the 2005 auditions for Casino Royale and is very open to talks.
Also high up are Idris Elba and Richard Madden at 7-1, Tom Hopper at 5-1, James Norton at 4-1, Tom Hardy at 5-2 and Regé-Jean Page at 2-1.
