This piece of information is courtesy of GiantFreakinRobot which reports that the actor has had three meetings as well as a screen test for the role of the iconic character. If Taylor-Johnson does secure the role, he will be the seventh actor to portray James Bond, as well as the third-youngest after George Lazenby and Sir Sean Connery. Also, he will have seen out competition from Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page who are also reportedly in the running. Apart from his physical characteristics and charisma, which are crucial for a Bond actor, Taylor-Johnson has also proven he has the chops to play the fictitious spy with appearances in numerous action films. The actor’s breakout role was as the titular character in the 2010 superhero action comedy movie Kick-Ass, as well as its sequel. His recent role in the David Leitch-directed action comedy film Bullet Train was as an English assassin code-named Tangerine. He has also had supporting roles in the 2020 Christopher Nolan science fiction action thriller film Tenet, as well as the 2021 spy action film The King’s Man. Daniel Craig was the last actor to portray the character and he bowed out following the release of 2021’s No Time to Die. Since then, the production company behind the film series, EON Productions, and producer Barbara Broccoli have been on the lookout for the next actor to carry the franchise forward. Fellow British actors Idris Elba, James Norton, and Tom Hardy were some of the names put forward to star as the character. However, Elba has repeatedly stated that he is not interested in the role especially since he is above the ideal age required to play Bond. Besides, franchise producer Barbara Broccoli reportedly set the maximum age for the next actor to play the character as 40 in a bid to ensure they will be able to star in the next three to four installments of the film series. By the way, Rory Kinnear, who portrayed the MI6 Chief of Staff in the last installment of the franchise stated during an interview with BBC‘s One Show that he is not convinced Taylor-Johnson will land the role. The actor pointed to the fact that James Bond actors historically turn out to be the least expected persons as proof of his doubts. Rory Kinnear on who the next James Bond may or may not be! 👀#TheOneShow 👉 https://t.co/Wgo9enemgm pic.twitter.com/J8my0QjPKa — BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) January 6, 2023 Taylor-Johnson’s next appearance is as the titular character in Sony’s upcoming film Kraven the Hunter which is set to debut on October 6, 2023. The actor will also star alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in David Leitch’s action flick The Fall Guy. The movie is currently filming and is slated for release sometime in 2024.
