Aaron Taylor-Johnson ‘formerly offered’ James Bond role

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The search for the next James Bond may be over.

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According to a new report published by the U.K. Sun, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role of 007.

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“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it,” an insider told the outlet. “The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.”

EON Productions, the studio behind the decades-old 007 films, wants to get a new movie in front of cameras later this year for release in 2025.

“As far as EON is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement,” the Sun’s source added.

If Taylor-Johnson, 33, inks a deal, he’ll be the eighth actor to play the suave British spy dreamt up by author Ian Fleming over 70 years ago. Should he sign on, Taylor-Johnson will be taking over from Daniel Craig, who played 007 for 15 years over the course of five films before his final outing in 2021’s No Time to Die.

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His casting would also mean he beat out a wide field of actors that were linked to the role, including Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Henry Styles, Idris Elba and Henry Golding.

“I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment,” Taylor-Johnson told reporters last week (per the New York Post).

Taylor-Johnson, who played Quicksilver in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and appeared opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train, isn’t a household name, but he’s “an incredibly talented actor.”

“His role in Nocturnal Animals showed his depth as an actor. He is the perfect person to play Bond and will pick up well from where Daniel left off,” the Sun’s insider added.

In a 2021 interview with Postmedia, No Time to Die director Cary Fukunaga said that whoever ended up being cast as Bond next would have “some very big shoes to fill.”

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“I think it’s going to be a tricky decision. There’s a lot of scrutiny over it, and we’re all aware of that. I just feel lucky I don’t have to make that decision,” Fukunaga said.

Despite speculation that a new instalment was on the way (Taylor-Johnson reportedly screen-tested for the part in 2022), last fall, the series’ longtime producers said they were still a ways off from reinventing the franchise.

“Daniel gave us the ability to mine the emotional life of the character … and also the world was ready for it,” Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said in an interview with The Guardian. “I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that.”

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Broccoli’s producing partner and half-sibling Michael G. Wilson added in a separate interview with Deadline that they likely won’t cast a young actor in the role.

“We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. 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. That’s why it works for a thirty-something,” he said.

Fukunaga predicted that no matter who was eventually cast in the role, he’d endure because the Bond franchise has “one of the largest and most loyal fan bases ever.”

“I think Daniel was a big part of growing the character’s fan base because of what he brought to it. He definitely brought me in as a contemporary fan,” Fukunaga said.

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