Next James Bond ‘auditions requirements mean Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill have NO chance’

James Bond: Producers 'want someone in his 30s' says King

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Over the last 60 years of the James Bond film franchise there’s been six official 007 actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. The seventh will be cast over the next couple of years and fans have been speculating just who will be chosen to be the next incarnation of Ian Fleming’s spy.

The likes of Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Henry Cavill continue to dominate the bookies’ odds. However, Daily Star’s EON Productions sources claim that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson will only audition actors who are under 40-years-old and over 5ft 10.

This shouldn’t be too surprising given that Craig is that height as the shortest 007, although Moore was 45, Dalton 41 and Brosnan 42 when cast in the role.

Nevertheless, the producers are looking for a “fresh-faced” star to follow Craig who was 52 when he bowed out as 007. 

Having a star in their late thirties, as Craig was in Casino Royale, allows them to have an incarnation for at least a decade with at least three movies under their belt.

With this in mind, the likes of Hardy and Elba would be just too old, as Cavill will be when he turns 40 next year.

Of course, they could always make an exception for the Superman star who lost out to Craig in the 2005 auditions, but he does continue to star in different spy franchises already with Argylle released later this year. 

Aside from him, William Hill have shared the actors with the best odds who are under 40 and over 5ft 10.

These stars are Regé-Jean Page on 4-1, James Norton on 6-1 and Douglas Booth on 12-1, while Cavill is on 5-2.

However, they may all be too famous. We wouldn’t be surprised if a rising star who isn’t quite an A-list household name yet like George MacKay or Daryl McCormack were in with a chance at the auditions.  

Whatever the case, insiders also claim that filming on the next Bond movie could begin as early as Winter 2023. Although, Broccoli herself said in late June that it will be “at least two years” before filming begins on Bond 26.

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The Bond producer’s process is to sit down with her team at EON Productions and work out collaboratively what sort of reboot they want to do, whether grittier or lighter and then audition to find the right star to fit that feel.

Broccoli has also confirmed that Fleming’s spy will always be played by a man but he can be of any ethnicity. With the 60th anniversary of Dr No on October 5, perhaps some news could arrive then?

READ THE ORIGINAL DAILY STAR ARTICLE BY JAMES DESBOROUGH AND SOPHIE GOODALL HERE

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