Could the next James Bond be another Irishman? After becoming a household name in Britain, thanks in part to his shirtless scything in BBC's latest adaptation of Poldark , actor Aidan Turner has emerged as the heir apparent to Daniel Craig, reports The Sun.
The 32-year-old star jetted off to Los Angeles to meet with Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson last week, it's claimed.
The newspaper cites a source saying, "Aidan has held preliminary talks with Bond producers and being in LA will give him a further chance to discuss the role."
Poldark producer Karen Thrussell appeared to incite the speculation when she addressed his lack of appearance at the Broadcast Press Guild Awards in London on March 11. Collecting a Breakthrough Award on Turner's behalf, she reportedly said: "I am sure it is nothing to do with James Bond, but we will see."
Turner's name has been in the mix as a potential new Bond in recent months, however, odds shared by bookmaker William Hill earlier this month suggest he isn't the frontrunner. The Revenant star Tom Hardy is the favorite to succeed Craig, followed by Homeland actor Damian Lewis and Luther 's Idris Elba.
Meanwhile, Thor actor Tom Hiddleston has thrown his hat into the mix after taking on a starring turn in the Bond-like BBC series The Night Manager , based on the novel of the same name by John le Carre.
With 2015's SPECTRE, Craig tied his predecessor Pierce Brosnan with four Bond movies under his belt. But the actor appeared to rule out a fifth when he said he'd "rather slash my wrists" than play 007 again. He later clarified, however, insisting it was too soon to think about another Bond outing.
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