A slew of actors are in the running to take over as the new James Bond, but there's one in particular who appears to be the unexpected frontrunner. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, known for his role as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron along with an impressive ever-growing resume, is reportedly at the top of the list regarding the next face to take up the mantle of 007. Now, it looks as though the rumors are true.
EON Productions, the company behind the James Bond franchise, has been allegedly actively looking into its options for who will play Bond in the wake of Daniel Craig's final performance as the character in No Time to Die. Among those being considered is Taylor-Johnson, who was recently speculated as the studio's current top pic. However, while those reports couldn't be confirmed, new info seems to finally lend some real credence to them.
As part of a big info dump from Puck, the reputable entertainment news site has verified the hints that Taylor-Johnson is not only leading the pack in potential replacements for Craig, but has also met with EON and studio head Barbara Broccoli regarding the role. It was previously rumored that Taylor-Johnson was the frontrunner to play the next James Bond, but Puck has now crossed that info from possibly into most definitely. What this means for other fan-favorites to take the part, that has yet to be seen.
Taylor-Johnson has been tearing it up in Hollywood lately, with appearances in big projects like Christopher Nolan's Tenet and an upcoming role alongside Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, and Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy. But his potential casting sort of goes against a previous statement from producer Michael G. Wilson that the next James Bond wouldn't be a younger actor. At 32, he's no infant. But he's no seasoned veteran either. Along with that, even Puck speculated that his rising star might complicate things, suggesting that "Taylor-Johnson might end up, ironically, too famous to take on Bond."
It's interesting to see Taylor-Johnson seemingly all but confirmed to be the next James Bond. He's certainly an unexpected choice among fans, many of whom would have preferred someone like Henry Cavill or Idris Elba. But even aside from Elba saying he'd rather not play Bond, Taylor-Johnson has the qualifications. He's a British actor with plenty of experience in action movies like Bullet Train and even his upcoming role in Sony's Kraven the Hunter. Anyone who only remembers him from Age of Ultron and 2014's Godzilla probably owes it to themselves to check out what he's been up to since those days.
It seems as though Taylor-Johnson is increasingly turning into the most obvious choice as James Bond, whether or not the fanbase agrees. But given his pretty radical glow-up between his breakout role in Kick-Ass and now, it's difficult to argue against his qualifications. Here's hoping the final decision comes soon.
Source: Puck