Why Everyone Wants Tom Hiddleston to Be the Next James Bond
“The name’s Loki. No, no last name, just Loki. Shaken, not stirred.”
OK, it doesn’t have the same ring as “Bond – James Bond,” but there’s a very real chance that Tom Hiddleston could graduate from one giant franchise to another by becoming the next 007. Fans seem to love the idea, but as Bond might say to his nemesis: “What are the odds?” They looked long for a while, but now new reports are surfacing that Hiddleston may be in the running after all. Will he become the seventh official 007?
Will Daniel Craig continue playing James Bond?
After rebooting Britain’s most famous secret agent in 2006’s Casino Royale (the 1967 film of the same name is a spoof that is not considered canon), Daniel Craig is ready to turn in his tux. He has just begun shooting his fifth and final Bond film, now known only as Bond 25. The director is Cary Fukunaga, best known for helming the first season of HBO’s True Detective. It’s due out a year from now in April 2020.
Craig has carried the mantle of Bond to great acclaim, leading the long-running series to great financial success. However, he has repeatedly shown weariness with the character, and that’s not unreasonable. When the new movie is released, he will have played Bond for 14 years, longer than any other actor. Sean Connery played the role from 1962 to 1967, took a break, returned in 1971, then again in 1983 for the unofficial Thunderball remake, Never Say Never Again.
The second long-running Bond, the late Roger Moore, playing the role for 12 years from 1973 to 1985. He made more films than any other Bond actor — seven — but he was Bond during the time when 007 movies came out every other year. Pierce Brosnan was Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002. He and Craig saw much longer gaps between movies.
Then there the are the short-lived Bonds. George Lazenby only lived once playing Bond, in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Timothy Dalton played Bond in two movies in the late 80s but didn’t get a chance to continue because MGM/UA, the Bond studio, was in one of its periodic financial downturns. If Hiddleston is the new Bond, he’ll have many shoes to fill.
Is Tom Hiddleston the next James Bond?
Hiddleston’s stardom rose as he played the god of mischief in Marvel movies, while at the same time, Craig began to tire of Bond. Hiddleston was talked up for the role around 2015 when Craig’s most recent Bond film Spectre came out. If you knew him only as Loki, Hiddleston might seem an odd choice, but his role as Jonathan Pine in the TV series The Night Manager had fans convinced. Like the Bond movies, Night Manager was based on the works of a spy novel author, in this case, John le Carre.
But according to the site The Ringer, Hiddleston lost his chance for three reasons: He was allegedly too smug (shades of Loki?), he wasn’t tough enough, and he wasn’t Daniel Craig. Why, he even had the nerve to date Taylor Swift.
That was two years ago, though. Now, betting sites are placing good money on Hiddleston taking over for Craig. But is it just wishful thinking? It was only last October that Hiddleston was quoted as saying: “I don’t think that announcement is coming …Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest.” Besides, he’s got a Loki series on his plate for Disney’s forthcoming streaming service.
Who will be the next James Bond?
If Hiddleston doesn’t get the part, there’s no shortage of other names being bandied about. Those include franchise vets Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Michael Fassbender (also X-Men) Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) and Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049)
Other candidates include Idris Elba, Damian Lewis, and Jamie Bell. Bell has the advantage of starring in one of the few non-Bond movies by the Bond producers, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. Some may say Bell at 33, looks too young for Bond — but then again, that was about the age Sean Connery was when he first played Bond in 1962’s Dr. No. And don’t forget, they used to say Craig was too blonde.
