Last year, Jeff Bezos finally bought the one thing he apparently wanted most of all: complete control of the James Bond franchise. While Bezos/Amazon had already bought *some* control over the James Bond property, because of the way Cubby Broccoli set the ownership stakes of the franchise decades ago, Bond was still basically controlled by Barbara Broccoli and her stepbrother. They hated the Amazon team and they wanted no part of any of it. So Bezos bought them out, reportedly for something like $1 billion. Two weeks ago, Amazon MGM Studios announced that they are moving forward with this new-era James Bond. The new film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve and Steven Knight as screenwriter. Meanwhile, they still have to cast their new James Bond, and no one knows which direction they will go – a younger, Gen Z 007? A Millennial Bond? Well, the gossips are still saying it’s probably going to be Jacob Elordi.
“Who will take it all?” That’s the title of a new 2 minute and 16 second film — err, Chanel ad — directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Jacob Elordi. But the question seemed more relevant to the casting of “Bond 26” than an elusive bottle of Bleu de Chanel, since the industry is fixated on who will land the coveted 007 role next.
Elordi has been in the Bond mix ever since Amazon announced that Denis Villeneuve would helm the franchise’s 26th film. Sources tell Page Six Hollywood that Amazon MGM wants a young actor for the part — ideally under 30 — so that the new star can carry the franchise over five films as Daniel Craig did from 2006 to 2021. (Elordi is 27.) The Bond actor must be British, we hear… or at least from a former colony, like Australia. (Elordi hails from Brisbane, mate.)
Villeneuve is said to be looking for a “fresh face.” That would seem to rule out another frontrunner, Tom Holland, who has already led three “Spider-Man” movies and appeared as the web-slinger in three more Marvel movies (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”) Holland is also attached to a Fred Astaire biopic to be produced by none other than “Bond 26” producer Amy Pascal, and he’ll next appear in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey.”
By contrast, Elordi’s roles have been edgier, including “Saltburn” and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” He’s best known for playing the ill-fated alpha bad boy, Nate, on HBO’s “Euphoria.” (And it’s safe to say he won’t be reprising that role, given his character’s fate, if series creator Sam Levinson were ever to create a spinoff.)
I can’t take any report seriously if they’re talking about Tom Holland as a potential Bond. I like Tom Holland a lot. I respect him as an actor, but he is not and should never be in contention for 007. As for Jacob… yes, he’s Australian, but he’s actually really good at accent work and I would guess that he’s capable of doing a British accent throughout five 007 films. Now, I personally think he’s too young, even at 28 (Page Six got his age wrong) – as a character, James Bond is supposed to have a Naval Intelligence background, and I just don’t think any part of the character’s backstory makes Elordi a realistic choice. There’s a reason why they always hired actors in their 30s or 40s, you know? Because MI6 generally isn’t sending out 27-year-olds with a license to kill. But whatever. Elordi is tall, handsome and he looks good in a suit. He’s got a Roger Moore-esque blandness to him, so maybe.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
