Daniel Craig’s James Bond Replacement Coming From Netflix?
Daniel Craig is done with Bond, but his replacement might be on the way.
This article is more than 2 years old
The list comprising Daniel Craig’s potential replacement for James Bond is quite impressive and also, in some cases, quite familiar. We can now add one more name to the list, though this actor might be a little less known: Regé-Jean Page.
For those of you unfamiliar with the name or the actor, Page stars as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, a period drama that sees Basset as one of London’s most eligible bachelors. If that doesn’t ring a bell, then perhaps you’ve seen Page as Chicken George in the 2016 mini-series Roots or as Leonard Knox in the TV series For the People.
Page has immediately jumped up the oddsmakers list (yes, there are bettors out there laying money down on who will be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig) that has seen a few favorites. At the present time, James Norton leads the way with Tom Hardy next in line. But that list has also had Idris Elba, Sam Heughan, Richard Madden, Tom Hiddleston, and even Henry Cavill on it.
Bridgerton fans jumped on the Page bandwagon shortly after the star seemingly tossed his hat in the ring to play the next Bond after Daniel Craig. He tweeted out a short video clip of his Duke of Hastings character walking toward the camera with the caption, “Regency, royalty. Shaken and stirred.” Fans quickly picked up on that second portion of his caption, as it comes dangerously close to Bond’s famous vodka martini line, “shaken not stirred.”
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is still reeling from Daniel Craig’s final and firm announcement that his fifth turn as Bond in the hopefully no longer delayed No Time to Die (scheduled to premiere April 2) will be his last. She told Variety, “I’m in total denial,” says Broccoli. “I’ve accepted what Daniel has said, but I’m still in denial. It’s too traumatic for me.”
Since that time, speculation as to who would fill Daniel Craig’s shoes has run rampant. In fact, there were many out there clamoring for the next Bond to be a female. This was also buoyed by the No Time to Die trailer which shows Lashana Lynch as taking over the 007 number after Bond’s retirement. And while the groundswell for a female 007 started to gain momentum, Broccoli put that notion to bed. While she is not opposed to Bond being a man of color, she is absolutely against James Bond being a female and she sees him as Ian Fleming created him. “He can be of any colour, but he is male.” She sounds very clear on that matter. She went on, “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
For those who love James Bond remaining a male, that is music to their ears. The Bond franchise is Hollywood’s longest-running franchises as well as one of its most financially successful. Bond has run for 24 films that began in 1963 with the late Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No. Over the nearly 60 years on film, the franchise has collectively earned an inflation-adjusted $16.3 billion across the globe ($6.9 unadjusted) and looks to add to that number once No Time to Die drops. The role of James Bond has been played by seven actors that include Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Who’s next? Do you have a favorite? How do you think Regé-Jean Page would fare as James Bond? Let us know!
