We’ve already covered the rampant rumors of Aaron Taylor-Johnson potentially being the next James Bond.
There’s been much speculation and it hasn’t really died down. No other actor has really had this much buzz in terms of Bond casting. You can read the Bond/Taylor-Johnson stories here, here, here, here and here.
A recent People report (via Esquire) mentions how Taylor-Johnson is neither confirming nor denying that he’s the next Bond. In an interview, when asked about donning the 007 tuxedo, he tried to deflect the question (and only reinforced all the rumors):
It’s not really for me to say anything […] As I’ve already told you, I have to go by the beat of my own drum.
This was his answer. Taylor-Johnson could have easily just denied the rumors, but he’s clearly not. Last December, I wrote that I was convinced that, based on everything that I’ve heard, he’s the next Bond. This latest interview makes me more confident that it’ll eventually be announced.
Some reports had suggested that Taylor-Johnson had a secret screen test with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli at Pinewood studios last November, and it went so well that an announcement of his casting was supposed to be in the works for this summer.
Then the strike happened. Obviously, it’d be in poor taste to announce any sort of major casting news while that is happening. Still a rumor, I guess, but who are we kidding here? There’s been no denial from Bond producer Barbara Broccoli as word keeps spreading throughout the film world.
Taylor-Johnson would be succeeding Daniel Craig. I had my doubt about Craig’s casting but he surprisingly delivered two of the best movies of this five decade plus franchise: “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall.” I never had high expectations for this franchise to begin with, but those two movies were aces.
Some of the actors who had been rumored for Bond in the last year included Henry Cavill, Regé Jean-Page, Tom Hardy, James Norton and Chiwetel Ejiofor. I would have chosen Idris Elba, but last year he walked away from 'years of talks' with Broccoli.