A reality check about who won’t be the next James Bond
Today I’d like to talk about the casting of the next James Bond, and how nobody knows what the hell they’re talking about when it comes to this topic. Now, ever since – SPOILER ALERT – Daniel Craig’s James Bond went out with a bang, or a boom as it were, people on the internet have not been able to stop talking about it. And of course, nearly all of them don’t realize the reality of the casting of this role. We keep hearing names like Henry Cavill or Tom Hardy or Idris Elba. Everyone who suggests these names, and even the folks who calculate the odds of who’s going to be cast, seem to forget how Daniel Craig was cast. Now, Daniel Craig had appeared in big, wide-release films before he was Bond. You might have seen him in Tomb Raider or Road to Perdition or, if you were really unlucky, A Kid In King Arthur’s court. At that point in his career Daniel Craig was more of a character actor. He’d never starred in a big film ever before, and he was only really known in England. And because he wasn’t an international box-office star, he was able to step into the role of Bond so capably. And he did a bang-up job. I’m not ashamed to say that Daniel Craig is my favorite James Bond. And because they had such success with Daniel Craig, the producers are probably going to do the same thing they did with him. They’re probably going to cast an established, but not well-known, actor to play James Bond.
They’re never going to cast Henry Cavill as James Bond. First off, he’s too big a star. Second, even though his time playing Superman is over, he’s still heavily associated with the role. For Bond, it’s necessary to have an actor that that the audience isn’t too familiar with, so they can see him only as Bond. You wouldn’t cast Daniel Radcliffe as Bond because people see him and they think of Harry Potter. Even though he hasn’t played the role in over a decade and he’s demonstrated his capabilities as an actor since then, he will always be associated with that role.
Now, as for Idris Elba and Tom Hardy, they’re just TOO FUCKING OLD! Sure, Idris Elba is 51 and Tom Hardy is 46, so they’re not ready for the nursing home, but for playing James Bond they’re definitely too old. The producers will want to squeeze out as many Bond films as possible with the new Bond, and they’re not going to repeat the mistake with Roger Moore playing Bond when he’s nearly 60 years old. It has to be someone in their early or mid 30s so they can get as many films as possible out of him. Not happening with these two.
Oh, I almost forgot about Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I’d still say that he’s too high-profile, but given recent developments and rumors I may very well be wrong. For those of you who haven’t kept track at all, there are rumors that he’s strongly favored to be the next Bond and that he’s even been offered the part. If so I hope he’ll do a good job. I also hope audiences can see him as Bond and not as Kraven the Hunter/Kick-Ass/Tangerine playing Bond.
As for my personal choice for the next James Bond – I have no idea.
