James Bond: Tom Hardy As 007 Rumors Explained

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James Bond: Tom Hardy As 007 Rumors Explained

Tom Hardy has quickly become the rumored favorite to take over as the next James Bond from Daniel Craig after No Time To Die. The Venom and Peaky Blinders star has long been linked to playing the next 007, even before Craig went back on his controversial comments about leaving the role in the wake of Spectre and he's now being widely spoken of as the man to replace Craig after the 25th 007 chapter.

Way back in October 2015, Daniel Craig told press on the Spectre media circuit that he had no interest in playing James Bond again after the rigors of the shoot had left him exhausted. His exact phrasing suggested he would rather "slash my wrists" and wanted to move on, rather than even consider playing Her Majesty's Finest ever again. Ultimately. he was convinced to return for the auspicious occasion of the 25th official Bond release, but his time as Bond is coming to an end. Rumors have suggested several high-profile options to replace him, including Idris Elba, notably, and the latest target has fallen once more on Tom Hardy.

Hardy's pedigree is not under question, so it's inevitable that he'd be rumored to play Bond at some point in his career. Such is the trend for all rising British stars, after all, but the newest round of rumors has picked up significant pace recently, with odds at bookmakers slashed and Hardy even compelled to offer comment himself. Here's why everyone's talking about Tom Hardy as the next James Bond.

The latest round of speculation comes on the back of speculation from fansites - admittedly unfounded - suggesting that Hardy has been offered the iconic part in the wake of Craig's impending departure on the back of a successful audition back in June. The plan, allegedly, was for Hardy's casting to be revealed in November in line with the release of No Time To Die, which would be an inspired way to add some publicity to the release of Cary Joji Fukunaga's Bond sequel. But the rumors suggest that the timeline may now have changed, and could well be pushed back to early 2021 if No Time To Die is delayed again. Judging by the ongoing response to the pandemic changing the landscape of cinematic releases, that possibility is far from remote.

The truth of the report now is almost inconsequential to the response. Bond casting rumors are one of the most feverishly hyped areas in movie speculation and a guaranteed market for bookmakers, which is why the odds on Hardy have tumbled very quickly after a large number of bets placed on Craig's replacement. That doesn't add weight to the speculation, particularly, as it's linked entirely to consumer response, but it does at least suggest confidence in the casting among fans. Part of that is no doubt the mental arithmetic that positions a Hardy casting as a route to bringing Christopher Nolan in to direct the next Bond.

The latest round of speculation comes on the back of speculation from fansites - admittedly unfounded - suggesting that Hardy has been offered the iconic part in the wake of Craig's impending departure on the back of a successful audition back in June. The plan, allegedly, was for Hardy's casting to be revealed in November in line with the release of No Time To Die, which would be an inspired way to add some publicity to the release of Cary Joji Fukunaga's Bond sequel. But the rumors suggest that the timeline may now have changed, and could well be pushed back to early 2021 if No Time To Die is delayed again. Judging by the ongoing response to the pandemic changing the landscape of cinematic releases, that possibility is far from remote.

The truth of the report now is almost inconsequential to the response. Bond casting rumors are one of the most feverishly hyped areas in movie speculation and a guaranteed market for bookmakers, which is why the odds on Hardy have tumbled very quickly after a large number of bets placed on Craig's replacement. That doesn't add weight to the speculation, particularly, as it's linked entirely to consumer response, but it does at least suggest confidence in the casting among fans. Part of that is no doubt the mental arithmetic that positions a Hardy casting as a route to bringing Christopher Nolan in to direct the next Bond.

Hardy himself has somewhat added fuel to the fire by admitting he's happy to be in the running while actively avoiding ruling himself out. The Mad Max: Fury Road star responded to a line of Bond casting questioning from The Daily Beast recently in cryptic fashion, further fuelling speculation: “If I mention it, it’s gone. You know, there’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it you’re automatically out of the race. So I can’t possibly comment on that one”. Evidently, Hardy wants it - and why wouldn't he want such a prestigious role? - but again, desire and speculation don't always mean a great deal.

Interestingly, the latest Tom Hardy as Bond talk has centered mostly on his age. He is currently 43 and would be older than the majority of Bond actors at the time of casting and presumably by the time Bond 26 came out (even beating Roger Moore who was 45 when his first Bond film “Live and Let Die” was released). Hollywood's apparent obsession with rebooting with younger actors - such as with Robert Pattinson as the title hero of The Batman - brings the idea of Hardy's casting as 007 into doubt, but if Sony wants some sense of continuity from Craig's James Bond (assuming they don't kill him off), then Hardy would make the most sense.