Could Jamie Bell be the next actor to take his Martini’s shaken and not stirred?
[dropcap size=small]W[/dropcap]ith Daniel Craig hanging up his 007 moniker for good, the subject of who will be the next James Bond is on everyone’s mind. Ian Fleming’s classic character has been at the forefront of a massive movie franchise since 1962’s Dr. No, with a whole series of brilliant actors taking up the role of the suave secret agent throughout the years. Selecting a new Bond to take the lead is never an easy task.
It has been widely reported that Loki actor Tom Hiddleston is one of the top picks for the role, with the rumour being that bookies will no longer accept bets on Hiddleston, since he’s almost a dead cert.
However, recent reports suggest Hiddleston has got some strong competition. According to Deadline, Billy Elliot’s Jamie Bell is now in the running, and has been in talks about the Bond role with none other than James Bond franchise producer, Barbara Broccoli.
The Guardian recently reported that Bond director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, Spectre) has said the next Bond may not be who we expect, which seems to hint at the idea Hiddleston might not be the next 007 after all.
Mendes also made a point of saying ‘the choice for the next star of the hugely successful franchise lies solely with producer Barbara Broccoli.’ Since Bell is involved in the upcoming drama, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which is produced by Broccoli, this could go very well go in Bell’s favour.
All evidence suggests Bell could beat out Hiddleston for the role. The British actor would certainly change things up after Craig, but he could bring something interesting to the table. Bell has proven to be a very diverse actor in the past, with projects ranging from 2005’s King Kong, to playing The Thing in the underwhelming Fantastic Four reboot.
At this point, the new Bond project is in the very early stages of development, with no complete script, cast, or even a studio to spearhead the project. Word is Warner Bros. and Sony are the two frontrunners, but have yet to start negotiations.
Let’s hope we find out who our new Bond is before long – be it Hiddleston or Bell.
What do you think about Bell as Bond? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!