Next James Bond star Tom Hardy responded to 007 casting news – GO LIVE 5pm | Films | Entertainment
Tonight, at 9pm on Channel 4, Venom hits TV screens starring Tom Hardy. While the British actor has starred in two films as the Marvel antihero, rumour has it he is gearing up to take on the role of James Bond after Daniel Craig stepped down from the series. But he has been extremely reluctant to break his silence about the rumours.
Craig ended his tenure as 007 after the release of his fifth Bond movie, No Time To Die.
His advice to the next Bond star – whoever they may be – is simple: “Don’t f**k it up.” And Hardy has been trying to do just that.
Back in 2020 rumours hit the internet that the Mad Max actor was “in talks” to become the new-and-improved James Bond after Craig’s 15 years as the hero.
However, when questioned about the role, he would not give a straight answer.
Hardy told The Daily Beast: “There’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, that if you talk about [playing James Bond] you’re automatically out of the race.”
He followed up by apologising: “So I can’t possibly comment on that one!”
His method of keeping quiet has kept him in good graces, it would seem, as his name has continually been at the top of the Bond odds.
Ladbrokes recently awarded him a powerful 15/2 on becoming the next star to don the tuxedo – but he has some major competition.
READ MORE: Daniel Craig ‘wasn’t happy’ playing James Bond – wanted it to end
While there are many names fighting for the Bond role, Hardy is still a fan favourite.
The actor won’t budge, however. He refused to talk about taking over from Craig before and he’ll certainly go on doing so.
However, he did have some recommendations about the next film’s director.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a director he has worked with before on the Batman series, as well as Dunkirk.
Hardy said: “Chris Nolan, what a fantastic director for a Bond movie. Because Daniel [Craig] is so good, and what [director Sam] Mendes and [Bond producer] Barbara [Broccoli] have done has been so impressive, that it would be a very hard re-imagination to follow after.”
He mused: “I wonder what the next instalment of that franchise would become, and I think when you mention someone like Christopher Nolan, that’s a very powerful figure to bring into that world who could bring something new and create something profound—again.”
The James Bond films are available to watch on Prime Video.
