A new name has James Bond fans both shaken and stirred after it was reported he could be in the running to play 007.
The hunt has been on for the next Bond ever since it was revealed that Dune director Denis Villeneuve would be helming the next entry for Amazon.
With Daniel Craig vacating the role in 2019, names such as Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have all been rumoured, although no decision has been made as yet.
It’s now been reported that 26-year-old Tom Francis has auditioned for the part, sending fans into a spin.
Francis most recently starred opposite Nicole Scherzinger in Jamie Lloyd’s take on Sunset Boulevard, and has also appeared in six episodes of You on Netflix.
If true, he’s one of many actors vying for a license to kill.
A source close to Variety said that the young actor had auditioned in a process overseen by Game of Thrones’ casting director Nina Gold.
However, representatives for both Francis and Amazon MGM did not comment when approached by the outlet.
To date, Francis is best known for his stage work, appearing on the West End in productions of Hair, & Juliet and Sunset Boulevard.
He made his film debut in last year’s Jay Kelly, which was directed by Noah Baumbach and starred George Clooney.
He’s also set to feature in upcoming sports drama The Mosquito Bowl, directed by Peter Berg and starring Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård.
His biggest screen role to date was in Netflix’s stalker series You, where he appeared as Clayton Angevine during the fifth series.
Reaction to the news was mixed, with X user Erik Lamoureux commenting that ‘he’s got the look for sure, but he’s too young.’
‘We need a Bond who looks like he’s experienced some life to be believable,’ agreed SoArchaic.
‘This one looks like a kid,’ said EnolaH, joining Tina.F in their opinion that he seemed ‘too young,’ to play Bond.
However, others were open to the idea, with TheArchaicMan saying that ‘it needs to be a relatively unknown Brit.’
Among those who were aware of the actor’s work, vickster51 described him as a ‘superb actor’ with ‘an incredibly striking presence/charisma.’
This news comes a month after Variety reported Amazon were considering 22-year-old Louis Partridge for the role.
While neither Partridge nor his team have commented on rumours, he did joke about how he might impress writer Steven Knight.
‘Maybe I could be at the bar, swilling a martini, saying nothing,’ he said.
In an interesting link, Partridge previously appeared in Knight’s Netflix series House of Guinness last year, making this comment soon after Knight’s appointment had been announced.
Producers are reportedly on the lookout for a younger actor to play Bond for the reboot – even before Amazon MGM Studio purchased creative control of the franchise from Eon.
A younger Bond would increase the number of films their new lead might make, but also potential involvement in the tie-ins and spin-offs the studio has an eye on.
Actors most likely to play James Bond next
- Callum Turner – 6/5
- Harris Dickinson – 3/1
- Jacob Elordi – 5/1
- Jack O’Connell – 8/1
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson – 9/1
- Theo James – 12/1
- Henry Ashton – 16/1
- Henry Cavill – 16/1
- James Nelson-Joyce – 16/1
- Leo Suter – 16/1
- Someone outside the top 10 – 5/2
Ladbrokes spokesperson Alex Apati told Metro: ‘The race to replace Daniel Craig is more wide-open than ever, and while Callum Turner continues to lead the way, the odds suggest an unknown name could well get the gig.’
Callum Turner is still the favourite to score the role with 6/5 odds, with Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi at 5/1 and Sinners’ Jack O’Connell at 8/1.
Recently-married Harris Dickinson has enjoyed a boost in odds and is now the second favourite at 3/1.
Mere days ago, the studio confirmed that ‘the search for the next James Bond is underway,’ teasing that an announcement would come ‘when the time is right.’
However, once found, fans shouldn’t expect the next entry in the franchise to appear anytime soon, with a potential seven-year gap between films on the cards.
‘Bond won’t be back until 2028,’ a source told The Sun. ‘The production mindset’s gone from “Let’s hurry this through” to “Make sure we get this right”.’
Metro has reached out to Amazon MGM Studios for comment.
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