Next James Bond boss ends hopes for drastic change to new 007

Following the exit of Daniel Craig from the iconic role of James Bond last year, fans have been predicting who might take his place. The British star embodied 007 for 15 years through five movies, but many believe it is time for a major change in the hero’s backstory. No Time To Die kickstarted this end to the status quo by killing off the seemingly invincible secret agent in its final moments. But Michael G Wilson has confirmed he does not want to change things up for the hero too much going forward. 

Wilson is one half of the Bond boss duo who controls every aspect of the hero’s life and journey in cinema. The other part of the management is his half-sister, Barbara Broccoli, who has also been very open about the character and his future.

Many rumours have hit the internet over the past few months suggesting that Bond would be undergoing a drastic change. Whether it is gender, skin colour, background, or age, fans have come to expect the introduction of Craig’s successor will be a major upheaval to the tradition of the hero.

Wilson recently confirmed, however, that one of the historical aspects of the character will remain the same: his age. The Eon boss has confirmed that the new-and-improved Bond will be a “thirty-something actor”.

Wilson revealed: “We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past but trying to visualise it doesn’t work.”

When put into context, Wilson explained that it simply would not make sense for James Bond to be anything other than a man with some grey hairs on his head, due to the nature of his profession.

“Remember, Bond’s already a veteran,” he pointed out. “He’s had some experience – he’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off.”

READ MORE: James Bond star Daniel Craig announced his favourite 007

Bond’s story would certainly make more sense if it utilised an actor with some experience in the industry, but Wilson’s fears of taking on a younger 007 may be rooted in the franchise’s history.

To date, the youngest-ever version of Bond was played by George Lazenby. The brash Australian star famously walked into MGM’s offices and demanded an audition to play the hero after Sean Connery stepped down from the series.

Lazenby was just 29-years-old and starred in just one film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But, Lazenby has since revealed, he had all sorts of fun on the set of the movie. He gambled thousands of pounds with the film’s actors; he “slept around” and was “gifted cars and motorbikes.

After one film, Lazenby stepped down from the series somewhat unexpectedly, prompting Connery to make a fleeting return in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, before leaving the series for the second time.

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The future of Bond’s actor is still a mystery, but there are some incredibly talented stars lined up in the Bond odds at the time of writing.

Henry Cavill is currently at the top of the leaderboard, with an insurmountable 2/1 on becoming the new 007 from Ladbrokes. And, considering the star is 39-years-old, he could be a great contender to become the next agent with a license to kill.

After all, Craig was just 38-years-old when he starred in Casino Royale in 2005, and he held on to the franchise for 15 years.

In recent weeks, Wilson and Broccoli have confirmed they want their new Bond actor to be able to star in “a few” movies, so they’ll certainly be looking for someone with some longevity.

Meanwhile, a fan favourite in the Bond odds is Tom Hardy. The Venom and Peaky Blinders star has a powerful 5/1 from Ladbrokes, but his chances have been dwindling in recent months. What’s more, considering the actor is 45-years-old now, he could be deemed a little too old for the role. Especially if the Bond bosses want to hold on to him for another 15 years. Could fans eventually see a 60-year-old Bond running things in MI5?

By far the youngest contender in the Bond odds at the moment is the Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page. The British-Zimbabwean star is currently 34-years-old and is blowing up in Hollywood in recent months – starring in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons adaptation, as well as Netflix’s The Grey Man.

However, he has previously called the idea of him becoming 007 more “flattering” than anything else and revealed he held no faith in the casting rumours.

James Bond No Time To Die is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.

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