James Bond
Regé-Jean Page has to stand in line
Regé-Jean Page causes a sensation not only in "Bridgerton".
© imago images / ZUMA Press
There is a new name on the long list of possible successors to Daniel Craig as James Bond: Regé-Jean Page.
Who will succeed Daniel Craig (52) as James Bond? "Bridgerton" star Regé-Jean Page (31) has recently been a hot contender for the role. But the list of potential successors is long and constantly expanding. These are the candidates at a glance.
If you look at the British bookmaker "Ladbrokes", Regé-Jean Page is very popular. He provided the reason for the speculation himself: The 31-year-old posted a short excerpt from the Netflix hit series "Bridgerton" on Twitter in mid-December. He wrote about it: "Regency, royal family. Shaken, not stirred." A reference to the famous Bond quote.
In an interview with presenter Jimmy Fallon (46) on his "The Tonight Show", Page said of the rumors: "If you are British and do something that people like, you are treated as a Bond contender. It's like one Merit badge. " He was very happy to have received this badge of merit, but it wasn't anymore.
Hardy and Norton are ahead of Page
But there are two other actors who have been in conversation for a long time: Tom Hardy (43, "Mad Max") and James Norton (35, "McMafia"). Hardy has been in the race since around 2017 and apparently thinks he has good chances. In an interview with "The Daily Beast" he said that he would not comment on the speculation because: "In our business and among my colleagues there is a saying that if you talk about it, you are out of the race" says Hardy.
If you believe various reports, James Norton is said to have already met with the Bond producers to go through scripts together. But Norton has always been lulled into the past and often describes the rumors in interviews as "pure speculation".
Rocker, Scottish Warrior or Superman?
Charlie Hunnam (40) is a recent addition. The "Sons of Anarchy" star told People magazine in November of last year that he would be "100 percent" ready to take on the Bond cult role. As an Englishman, he would be "flattered and honored" if considered. However, the 40-year-old is well aware that the list of candidates is long: "But my intuition tells me that I shouldn't wait for this call."
A poll by "RadioTimes.com" brought another candidate into play in mid-2020: "Outlander" star Sam Heughan (40). 30 percent of the 80,000 people surveyed named him as the desired Bond successor. That wouldn't be that far-fetched. In mid-June 2020, Sam Heughan described the James Bond role as a "big dream" in an interview. The series star reportedly even auditioned for the role in "Casino Royale" in 2005, but had to admit defeat to Daniel Craig.
In the same year, another auditioned for the then vacant role: "Superman" actor Henry Cavill (37). He too had to admit defeat to Craig. But Cavill did not bring himself up again until September 2020. If the 007 producers were interested, he would "definitely take the opportunity", he said in an interview with "GQ" when asked. "It's all pending at the moment. We'll see what happens. But yeah, I'd love to play Bond, that would be very, very exciting," continued Cavill.
Will it be a lesser-known face?
Is it up to Dr. Ian Kinane of the "International Journal of James Bond Studies" will not be Cavill. This is already "too well known", the expert told the British tabloid "Daily Express". Kinane sees Jamie Bell (34, "Jumper") as a "good choice". He was the same age as Craig when he became 007. The same applies to James Norton. But he could also imagine someone like Richard Madden (34, "Rocketman"), who, however, is more of an outsider.
Idris Elba (48, "Thor"), "The Hobbit" star Aidan Turner (37), Damian Lewis (49 "Homeland") and Tom Hiddleston (39) have also long been on the list of possible Craig heirs. The latter has been more or less rifle by foot since 2016 and had already publicly announced that he would be only too happy to slip into the role of the famous secret agent. He told the Sunday Times, "I love the theme song, the clichés and the mythology. I love the whole thing!"
Bond remains male
So far, however, only one thing is certain: there will be no female Bond successor. The Bond producer Barbara Broccoli (60) emphasized in January 2020 in an interview with "Variety": "He can have any skin color, but he is male." Again and again the names Gillian Anderson (52) and Keeley Hawes (44) circulated as possible candidates for the role in the network.
The theatrical release of "James Bond – No Time to Die", Daniel Craig's last appearance as 007, has been postponed to spring 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.