Just like clockwork, the moment Denis Villeneuve was announced as the director of the next James Bond, a reported shortlist of who could play his 007 appeared.
On Friday, Variety published a story where Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi and Harris Dickinson are on an Amazon wishlist.
The reason for going younger than many fans were expecting is because, according to the US trades sources, “Amazon is looking at a 2028 release date for Bond 26. Anything sooner would be impossible to pull off, given the film’s scale.”
This is a point that makes sense; I just wouldn’t be completely happy because 2027 would have been an ideal release. By hiring Villeneuve, you’ve told the world that they’ll have to wait a little bit more, as the Canadian filmmaker is about to start shooting the final Dune movie of his trilogy this summer, with a current release date of December 2026.
However, Dune Messiah could be moved to March 2027, due to Avengers: Doomsday coming out in the same month.
Meaning the earliest Denis could get his hands on Bond 26/Amazon Bond 1 would be Spring 2027, whilst doing press for the third Dune movie for a summer shooting schedule.
It makes looking at actors in the late 20s/early 30s more likely as they’ll be of an age where Amazon MGM could build the series around for the next decade to 15 years. This makes names like Henry Cavill, Theo James and even Aaron Taylor-Johnson old hat.
However, the three names given to Variety make no sense.
Holland, while a lovely bloke and a great Spider-Man, I don’t see him as Bond. He looks too young and is too short for the role. It would be the same issue that Tom Cruise had as Jack Reacher. For those reasons, it’s best to remove the 29-year-old from the list.
As for Elordi, he has everything to make a decent 007 – height and look – even being an Aussie is no issue to me, given George Lazenby. However, I don’t think he’d be interested, especially if he turned down reading for James Gunn’s Superman, saying it was “too dark”, than going on a Denis Bond movie, especially after the Daniel Craig era, isn’t a thought of sunshine and rainbows.
Plus, there’s something about him that I don’t like.
The same thoughts came to Dickinson. I don’t see him as James Bond, and they’ve tried to make him an action star with The King’s Man, and I don’t see him as handsome.
None of these names would move the needle. Although I had promised (and very annoyed at) myself never to get involved in casting regarding Bond, new information brings new ideas.
If I were looking at actors even younger than 35, here would be my four-man wishlist if I were working for Amazon.
Damson Idris – 33 years old
He is the man of the moment with the release of F1, which had a very decent box office weekend of $57m domestically and $89.3m internationally. I haven’t seen the film, but during the press tour, the lad from Peckham comes across as incredibly charming and charismatic in interviews, and in the Tommy Hilfiger advert, he exudes so much swagger.
This would be the sort of Piece Brosnan-era Bond, I’d love to see, because it embodies the personality of a James Bond who truly loves his job.
However, if the rumours become true that Marvel has him lined up to be Black Panther, then we can 100% say goodbye to this idea.
Aaron Pierre – 31 years old
The Rebel Ridge star literally ticks all the boxes for me to be 007. From size to charm, his beautiful blue eyes and deep voice would seduce any woman, combined with his action background and pure sex appeal.
On the other hand, whilst Idris being Black Panther is only a rumour, Pierre being John Stewart in Lanterns ends any chances, sadly. This is simply due to Warner Bros/DC Studios having first dibs on the actor to use, and they’ll probably get him involved a lot as he’ll be the Green Lantern in James Gunn’s DCU.
Will Poulter – 32 years old
Poulter would have been an outsider choice, but if Amazon is truly looking for someone younger, the Warfare actor would be the ideal middle ground where he’ll be young enough to build around, but old enough to be believable in the role for audiences.
Poulter is also a very good actor with a comedy background to bring more of the much-needed fun back into the series, but I will admit this wouldn’t be a possible choice if he didn’t get into fantastic shape as Adam Warlock for Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
Connor Swindells – 28 years old
The final name on the short list is my only late-20s choice because I think he’d be a better choice than those names rumoured by Amazon.
While Swindells is best known to many people for Sex Education, which would bring in the younger demographic the series needs. For me, it has been his role in SAS: Rogue Heroes. Where he showcases his Bond and it would be very Roger Moore, but ultimately for the vast majority he would be an unknown, and that has its benefits.
These would be the names Amazon should consider, and the positive aspect for the studio with these over Holland, Dickinson, and Elordi is that these names would all be cheaper. With the extra money, they’d be able to build top talent around them, such as Cate Blanchett as M, Bill Nighy’s Q, and Moneypenny played by Lily James (if Amazon wants to do a series).
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