There’s been a lot of speculation as to who the next James Bond will be. While there’s been no official statement that there even needs to be a next James Bond quite yet, it certainly looks like current star Daniel Craig is going to be wrapping up his tenure sooner rather than later. Now there’s a report that the next Bond has been chosen, at least unofficially. If this turns out to be true, then it seems that Homeland’s Damian Lewis will be the new British superspy.
The report comes courtesy of England’s Mirror, which is reporting that Lewis has been given "an unofficial nod" that he will be at the top of the list if and when Daniel Craig steps aside from the role of James Bond. We’re not exactly sure what an "unofficial nod" looks like. It sounds like somebody might have been falling asleep in the middle of the conversation. While the Mirror seems fairly confident in this report, they’re not exactly the place we would expect to see this sort of news break. Let’s not also forget that a few weeks ago the same publication was claiming David Beckham was considering the legendary role. They call their source "well-placed," but, again, they don’t give any details about their relation to the production. It isn’t even clearly stated that whoever performed this questionable nod is even somebody in a position to do so.
To be fair, the idea that Damian Lewis might be given an "official nod" at some point to play James Bond isn’t a new one. Lewis was at the top of the list for U.K. bookmakers a few months ago, and while odds have begun shifting towardsTom Hardy as of late, Lewis is still a perfectly realistic choice. He’s a 44-year-old Londoner with a long acting career, though he’s best known for his role on Showtime’s Homeland, for which he won an Emmy. He didn’t make our shortlist of contenders, however. Just sayin’.
In addition to Hardy, a number of other potential Bonds have been named over the past few months. Idris Elba has made the most headlines, both because of his popularity with fans, and because of some… ineloquent comments made by some regarding his potential casting. Elba is actually another reason the Mirror report seems sketchy. They refer to him as having "long been tipped as Craig’s successor" which, while he might be a serious candidate, is not something that anybody has reported.
Of course, none of this really matters until we determine whether or not Daniel Craig is actually going anywhere after Spectre. Craig has been a brilliant success in the role and nobody is shoving him out the door. The door will likely be left open for him until they’re nearly ready to start filming the next movie, which could be years from now. If Craig wants to do another, then he will. If not, they’ll then look elsewhere, and by then the entire landscape of Hollywood will look different than it does today. It’s anybody's ballgame.
If Damian Lewis is the choice, does that work for you? Let us know if he’s a Bond you can get behind.
