While speaking with Digital Fix on March 3, 2022, to promote Season 6 of Outlander, the hot Scot was asked if he would “like to be” the next Bond, James Bond, after Daniel Craig’s curtain call as 007 came in the 2021 movie No Time to Die. Heughan’s reply? “I think all British actors, or any actor really, would love to play that part,” he told the outlet. As for the never-ending gossip about whether Heughan’s in the running for the role, Heughan added, “I‘m not sure who started that rumor, but it’s a nice one!” He also noted, “It’s no secret that I’ve talked about it, and that I auditioned for it years ago. But who knows, I have no idea. There’s no truth to it at the moment.” Back in June 2021, while appearing on Alex Zane’s Just the Facts podcast, Heughan similarly said about the possibility of being cast as Bond, “You can’t help but [to] think, ‘God, it would be amazing.’” (You can check out the entire episode here.) During his chat with Zane, Heughan also reminisced about auditioning to play Bond way back when, before DanielCraig was named Pierce Brosnan’s successor and awarded the role starting with 2006’s Casino Royale. “It was an amazing experience and I was completely out of my depth,” Heughan admitted about trying out for the part in front of legendary Bond producers BarbaraBroccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Fun fact: Heughan also dished on his Bond audition in a March 2020 video for Esquire while reading up on those 007 rumors via Parade.com! (Check it out below around the 0:45 mark.) However, in his chat with Zane, Heughan made sure to add that he feels more prepared to play the character now, thanks to the wisdom (and maybe the more rugged handsomeness?) that comes with age. “I think now I feel the right age for it,” the 41-year-old explained. “I feel capable enough to do it. I’d love the opportunity to throw my hat in the ring. Definitely.”
Who should be the next James Bond?
Of course, Heughan’s far from the only person on the planet to believe he’s got the makings of a great MI6 agent. In July 2020, the Scotsman came out on top in a poll conducted by RadioTimes.com asking fans for their Bond casting picks. Garnering 30 percent of the vote, Heughan beat out such studs as Tom Hardy (14 percent), Henry Cavill (11 percent), Idris Elba (10 percent) and Tom Hiddleston (5 percent). “I think any actor would never say they’re not interested. Of course, you’d be interested,” Heughan once told Esquire UK. “I mean, it is all rumors, and sometimes you think, should I, should we even talk about it? Because you don’t want to jinx it. I’m sure the people, whoever runs [Bond]–you know, Barbara Broccoli and Eon and all that–they must be sick of it; people sort of throwing their hat into the ring. But yeah, he’s a great character, and would certainly be a fascinating character study and place to kick off.” That sounds quite similar to how he put it on the Just the Facts podcast about the Bond buzz: “It’s one of those things, you don’t want to talk about it because there isn’t anything to talk about,” he said. “It’s all media and it’s all just… there’s no weight to it at all, there’s no truth to it.” Heughan was much more succinct—and silly—when Good Morning Britain asked him about playing Bond back in January 2020. “It depends on how much whiskey I’ve drunk,” he quipped. (Of course, Heughan is such a renowned whisky fan in real life that they may have to change 007’s signature shaken martini drink order if he takes on the character!)
Is Luke Evans going to be the next James Bond?
While fans were ready to cast Heughan as 007 back in 2020, the British gambling group Ladbrokes put good odds on live-action Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans being hired as James Bond back in June 2021. However, soon after those odds were made public, it was reported that Evans had signed on to reprise his role as Gaston from the live-action Beauty and the Beast for a Disney prequel series—but then, several months later in February 2022, word got out that the prequel series had been put on indefinite hold (which Evans tweeted about), so who knows?
Is Regé-Jean Page the next James Bond?
As of mid-2021, Ladbrokes also had Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page leading the pack in the running to replace Craig. A Ladbrokes rep even said, “A flurry of bets over the past few days have forced us to substantially slash odds on Regé-Jean Page, who is now our even-money favorite to play Bond next. He’s comfortably running away with things in the betting as the likes of Tom Hardy and, in particular, Luke Evans continue to drift in the betting.” Like Heughan, Page is now finding himself facing endless questions about whether he’ll be the next Bond. As just one example, JimmyFallon asked Page about playing 007 in January 2021, to which Page replied in part, “If you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown that people regard well, then people start saying the ‘B-word’ [Bond]. It’s like a merit badge. You get the B-word merit badge.”
When is the next James Bond movie?
No Time to Die, the 25th film in the official James Bond franchise, finally hit theaters on October 8, 2021, after being pushed back numerous times due to the coronavirus pandemic. That was expected to be Craig’s last performance as Bond, with no official word yet about when another 007 flick might materialize or who would take on the character. So, fingers crossed, Heughligans! Next, find out how to watch all the James Bond movies in order!
