Could The Next James Bond Be This Actor?


James Bond has been Daniel Craig’s role since he broke onto the scene with the 2006 reboot Casino Royale.

The film arrived to rave reviews and overwhelming box office support after a lot of nay-saying in the days leading up to its release.

Many criticized having a blonde James Bond and decided that they were done with the series for good, all before seeing the first trailer.

Such is the nature of the hunt for a new star to fill 007’s shoes. Lots of criticism and opinions. They’ve all been going through it since Sean Connery left the role with 1971’s abysmal Diamonds Are Forever.

Yet the series itself has persisted. In fact, Roger Moore had the opportunity to go head-to-head with Connery’s version of the character when the original 007 returned for the unofficial release Never Say Never Again in the same year as Octopussy.

Moore won.

His film outgrossed Connery’s $67.8 million to $55.4 million in 1983, according to Box Office Mojo.

By now, it’s pretty clear that whoever plays the James Bond character can look forward to successful box office numbers. And now, as Craig gets ready to exit the role after one more turn, many believe they have found his replacement.

The man’s name is Aidan Turner, and he looks a lot closer to what Connery purists would hope for.

Turner turned heads in the recent production of And Then There Were None, which some, like the Daily Mail, are calling his “audition” for the part.

In the new BBC drama, Turner plays suave and handsome Philip Lombard, a creation of mystery writer Agatha Christie.

Taking a look at some of the stills, it’s tough to argue with the idea of Aidan Turner taking over the James Bond role.

While there are many out there who would instead like to see a black actor take over the role — namely Idris Elba — Turner would undoubtedly be a great choice for EON Productions, and he would also be considered a “safe” choice in the sense that he wouldn’t rock the boat too much from what James Bond fans have seen in the past.

The Irishman also looks closer to the character author Ian Fleming originally scribed decades ago.

Furthermore, there is starting to be some pushback at what Hollywood calls “colorblind casting,” or basically “making a point” of casting more minorities in lead roles “just because.”

Some feel that the act is pandering and does more harm than good because it gives Hollywood an “out” without making any real changes to a system that offers fewer opportunities to other ethnicities.

As a result, so the story goes, a few minority actors do really well while most languish.

Regardless of where EON ends up going with their future casting selection, one thing is certain. It’s about to get very interesting for fans of the 007 films.

Every time a new casting hunt begins, the rumor mill gets an opportunity to go crazy. Some past rumored names for the role include Clive Owen, Orlando Bloom, Henry Cavill, Dougray Scott, and Sean Bean.

Going beyond these traditional favorites, there has also been an interesting list of actors, who were considered for the part but would have been totally wrong for it.

Examples: Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Adam West (yes, the 1966 television Batman).

What do you think, readers?

Is Aidan Turner a good choice for the next James Bond, or would you rather see EON go with a less traditional actor in the part?

[Image via Piotr Zajac/Shutterstock]

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