I’ve been a Bond fan for as long as I can remember and it’s always fun speculating who the next one will be, when the present incumbent holsters their Walther PPK.
Daniel Craig is a tough act to follow. He brought a darker side to the role that I really enjoyed, as well as bringing a level of physicality to Bond that had never been seen previously. There is talk of the new actor finally being cast before the end of the year, but I have to say I’m not being overly inspired by the prospect of the current front runners, nor the fact the franchise is now creatively controlled by Amazon, although this is somewhat tempered by the fact that the incredible Denis Villeneuve will be directing.
Personally, if I was casting I’d go left field and explore an origin story/ prequel Bond as a Naval Commander and joining MI6 at the tender age of 31, just as Ian Fleming had originally written the character to be. This would require a young guy to play the role, but not necessarily in Fleming’s period of the early 50s. That aesthetic would be very cool, but probably not suitable to meet the politically correct requirements of contemporary cinema.
Enough waffle though. My choice for the role would be the largely unknown Harry Lawtey who looks not unlike a young Sean Connery. He has considerable acting chops, paying alongside Toby Jones in the critically acclaimed Mr Burton and has appeared in BBCs Industry and the new still unscheduled Beatles biopic. He’s got a similar dead eye, tortured soul manner to Craig, but would definitely need some work in the hench department as he’s somewhat slight in build.
At a push, one of the highly tipped front runners, Callum Turner might work, but my Mum would probably unkindly comment that his eyes look too close together. I seem to remember they said far worse things about Daniel Craig when he started, some comparing him to a certain 1970s kids toy that involved placing random facial features on a plastic cartoon character..
Jacob Elordi has also been hotly tipped but the guy is so freakishly tall, I’m not sure he could fit into an Aston Martin unless it’s a convertible with his head poking above the windscreen. That’s not a cool look.
It would be rude not to discuss the music and my choice for the theme tune would be given to Raye with Olivia Dean in reserve.
Raye is an extraordinary musical talent, well versed already in bringing bombastic orchestral themes bang up to date with contemporary influences. The Shirley Bassey comparison is of course undeniable.
Who would you choose?