Now that the Daniel Craig era of the James Bond franchise is over, fans are still wondering: Who will take up the 007 mantel next?
Well, it seems that a casting announcement is imminent. The Sun reports that Eon Productions has offered the role to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is expected to sign the final contracts this week. “Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it,” a source told the publication. “The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”
Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to Blockbuster franchises. In 2015, he landed the role of Quicksilver in Avengers: The Age of Ultron. You may have also spotted him in recent films like The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, The King’s Man, and Tenet.
The news of Taylor-Johnson’s imminent casting comes after Franchise boss Barbara Broccoli disappointed fans earlier this year with a severely limited update about the next Bond iteration. Deadline reported that she was non-committal when asked about the future of Bond at a recent event: “There’s nothing I can tell you about the next Bond film. There’s nothing. Nothing is happening yet.”
She had previously talked about the unlikelihood of a female James Bond on the Girls On Film podcast: “I don’t think that we should be making films where women are playing men,” she explained. “I think we should be making more films about women.” She clarified that she would be open to a non-binary actor playing the part.
Although it looks likely that the next James Bond will be Taylor-Johnson—which here were our top picks for the ultimate role, including men, women, and non-binary actors. Take a look.
Lashana Lynch
John Phillips
