Tom Holland On Whether He’ll Play James Bond
Tom Holland spoke about playing James Bond after Daniel Craig.
This article is more than 2 years old
With Daniel Craig hanging up his “shaken-but-not-stirred” martinis, fans have been clamoring, actors have been engaging, but Barbara Broccoli and company have not said who will follow in Craig’s footsteps as James Bond. The list of names is vast, speculation is running rampant, and now one more name can be added to the mix. Spider-Man’s Tom Holland.
Tom Holland hinted to Variety about a couple of upcoming roles, then touched on the famous MI6 agent, “I’ve got two roles coming up that I’m playing in the next few years that I’m really excited about, but I can’t talk about them yet. But I mean, ultimately, as a young British lad who loves cinema, I’d love to be James Bond. So, you know, I’m just putting that out there. I look pretty good in a suit.”
No, this isn’t a joke, even given Tom Holland’s age and youthful appearance. He is coming off the most mature role of his career, a re-teaming with directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), in Cherry, a role that has Holland playing a solider who turns drug addict then bank robber. But Holland is also set to appear once again in Spider-Man 3, where teenage Peter Parker is back fighting villains with, what has already been reported, the possibility of more than one Spider-Man. Holland told Variety as much as he could, “I can say that it’s the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made. You sit down, read the script, and see what they’re trying to do, and they’re succeeding. It’s really impressive. I’ve never seen a standalone superhero movie quite like it. And I’m just, you know, again, that lucky little shit who happens to be Spider-Man in it.”
So, add Tom Holland to the list that also includes Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Regé-Jean Page, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, and Chris Hemsworth.
Tom Holland joked with Extra about the internet chatter about him possibly taking on Bond, “I would [love it], yeah. I’m so excited that they’ve cast me, it’s really exciting. I’m really gonna change the game, and thanks for bringing that to my attention, I forgot about it. It just slipped my mind. But yeah, I’m Bond. Mr. James Bond.” Holland also comically said growing up, his two favorite characters were Spider-Man and James Bond. “It’s funny, as a kid growing up, the two characters I’ve always wanted to play was either Spider-Man or James Bond,” Holland laughed. “I’m honestly perfectly happy with just the one, I love this character [Spider-Man] more than anything, and I realize how lucky I am. But that said, I would also like to play James Bond.”
Even though Tom Holland feels he may be too young to take on the role right now, he does have a storyline that could help ease a youthful Bond into existence. “Basically, the film was about a kid who goes to the SAS, joins MI6, and you never know that he’s James Bond. And then at the end of the film, the tag is, after he’s made two kills, M would say, ‘Welcome to the 00 Program, Mr. Bond.’ And then everyone goes, ‘Wait a minute, is this a James Bond movie?’ Yes, it is.” That actually isn’t a bad introduction to a young James Bond and his career with MI6. Tom Holland’s Bond comments come near the 6:20 mark.
For now, though, Tom Holland’s fans will have to be happy with Spider-Man and his newfound maturity in Cherry. Also, not to forget, Holland is slated to appear as a young Nathan Drake in the upcoming film version of Uncharted, the popular video game series that will also star Mark Wahlberg as his mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan.
Until the makers of the James Bond movies decide who will fill his shoes, Tom Holland continues to toss his name out there. “So, y’know, I’m just putting that out there. I mean I look pretty good in a suit! I’d be like a really short James Bond,” he said via Express on the Variety Award Circuit podcast.
