Bond, Millennial Bond: Next 007 Could Be '30-Something'

With the role of 007 still up for grabs, a producer in the James Bond franchise has suggested the next actor cast will have to be "30-something" to get the part.

Daniel Craig retired from the role after No Time to Die, and bookmakers have named Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page as the front-runner for the next Bond. He would certainly fit the bill, based on criteria recently given by film producer Michael G. Wilson.

"We've tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn't work," Wilson said, speaking to Deadline from London's British Film Institute. The longtime producer of Bond movies went on to list the qualifications an actor needs to play 007.

"Remember, Bond's already a veteran," Wilson said. "He's had some experience. He's a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He's probably been in the SAS or something. He isn't some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That's why it works for a 30-something."

Babies born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s are considered millennials. This means that if Eon Productions and MGM, the makers of the Bond films, are looking for a "30-something" 007, they'll have to cast their first millennial. Multiple bookmakers in the U.K. and the U.S. have named the 34-year-old Page as the favorite to play the role. Other British actors, like Henry Cavill, 39, Tom Hardy, 45, and James Norton, 37, are also in the running.

Page isn't everyone's preferred choice, though. Ian Kinane of the University of Roehampton London, who is the founder of The International Journal of James Bond Studies, said the next 007 needs to be more than just "a coat hanger for fine tuxedos."

Kinane told Newsweek, "I don't put much credence behind the media's positioning of Regé Jean-Page as the new Bond, other than the fact that, as a young Black British actor who has suddenly risen to prominence in a very popular Netflix show, people are paying attention. I think the reaction might be somewhat knee-jerk, a premature shout."

He continued: "Given the increasingly emotional depths plowed by the recent Bond films, it is not enough for the next James Bond to simply look good on screen. He has to hold his own as a performer. Page might be slightly on the youngish side too. I imagine people will be watching his career with interest as an alternative British actor who ticks all of the boxes."

Tom Pickup from the Really, 007! podcast also weighed in on Page being cast. "Often when there's a vacancy for the next Bond, it's 'that bloke off the telly,'" Pickup told Newsweek. "Here it's a bit more interesting, as Regé-Jean has a buzz about him and would make an interesting change."

Kinane also ruled out Hardy, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba on account of their ages, while Cavill is unlikely because of his association with Superman and the spy movie The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Pickup agreed that Elba is too old but would have been a great choice. Instead, he suggested having Elba join the franchise as M once Ralph Fiennes steps down from the role. Tom Holland is "still too young"; Taron Egerton has already done the Kingsman movies, "which is too similar to Bond"; and Hardy would be an ideal fit, in Pickup's opinion, but he "can't see him accepting it."

Instead, Pickup favors Cavill in the role. "He's such an obvious choice that he's been discounted by many. He would be our pick, as he's been touted before. He's the perfect age, he would be a reliable and likable figure for the next 15 years plus and can handle the fame," he said.

There is another high-profile British actor whom Kinane would like to see don a tuxedo as Bond. He said his money is on Jamie Bell to replace Craig.

Bell made his name as the child star of the Oscar-nominated movie Billy Elliot before going on to star in Fantastic Four and Rocketman. At 36, he meets Wilson's age requirement.

"It will be someone with a reasonable profile in British cinema currently but not someone obvious or someone who is already a major star," Kinane said. "That's why my money is on a Jamie Bell type."

As speculation continues on who will follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Craig, Wilson said the casting process has not yet begun, "no matter what others tell you."