Aaron Taylor-Johnson 'chosen as new James Bond', with actor 'to sign deal to take over from Daniel Craig this week'
19 March 2024, 06:55 | Updated: 19 March 2024, 13:29
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is said to have been chosen as the new actor to play James Bond.
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The Tenet and Bullet Train star, 33, is expected to sign a contract to become 007 this week.
Taylor-Johnson will replace Daniel Craig, who stepped down from the role after making five movies in 15 years.
Eon Productions, which makes Bond films is said to be preparing to shoot again this year.
"Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it," a source told the Sun. "The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.
"As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement."
Read more: Who is new James Bond actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson and what films has he been in?
Taylor-Johnson screen tested for Bond in 2022, and was asked about his possible involvement last week.
He said: "I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment."
Taylor-Johnson's first major role was as a teenage John Lennon in Nowhere Boy. He met his future wife, the film's director Sam Taylor-Wood, onset, when he was 18 and she was 42. They married three years later.
He later appeared in Kick-Ass, Anna Karenina, Godzilla, Nocturnal Animals and Tenet, among several other film roles.
Taylor-Johnson is set to co-star with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in action comedy The Fall Guy later this year.
A source told the paper that he "may not be the best known in his field but he is an incredibly talented actor.
"His role in Nocturnal Animals showed his depth as an actor. He is the perfect person to play Bond and will pick up well from where Daniel left off."
Entertainment journalist Caroline Frost told LBC News: “This is close as film journalists have got it. The word on the wire does seem to be that this is the case. However, I'm not going to put too much money on it because, we have been here before for years in fact."
"We do know that this week, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is reported to have accepted an offer and that it's basically just a matter of weeks, if not months, before we will hear that the new film is in production.
"It does seem very likely and nobody is stepping forward to deny that this is the case and it's the strongest speculation yet".
Craig played 007 in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre, before hanging up his gun with 2021's No Time To Die.
Bond seemed to have been killed off at the end of the most recent film, so it is unclear where the next installation will take the spy.
