A Southampton-born actor who once played a senior royal has supposedly been named by a co-star as the new James Bond after a "few glasses of lager". Hollywood has been alight with gossip over the last few months as 007 bosses whittle down their shortlist for the coveted lead role, while excitement mounts for the still-unnamed Bond 26.
Names touted as possible replacements for Daniel Craig – whose last entry as the MI6 agent was 2021's No Time to Die – have included Masters Of The Air's Callum Turner, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, West End star Tom Francis, and Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi.
There's been no official announcement yet, but rumour has it that Josh O'Connor has landed the role - so says a loose-lipped theatre pal. Josh, who played Charles in the Netflix series The Crown, has recently starred in Golden Boy at the Almeida Theatre in Islington.
Co-star's Claim
A source told The Sun: "I bumped into one of Josh's Golden Boy cast mates at The French House. They were recognised by a lot of people who asked for selfies and we got chatting in a corner completely by accident.
"Out of nowhere, and oiled by a few glasses of lager, they blurted out that Josh was the next James Bond. I said it was pure speculation, but they were insistent it was Josh."
They said that he had confided in them about getting the role when the cast of Golden Boy had celebratory drinks after the play finished its run on Halloween.
They further claimed that they were "very proud" that their friend had supposedly secured the role and of what it "would mean" for his career.
Praise from Colman and Craig
Josh's co-star in The Crown, Olivia Colman, has previously heaped praise on the actor, saying he displayed "fragility, sparkle, strength, doubt" in the show, and she "loved watching him" - and that's not the only celebrity who approves.
Daniel Craig pitched him for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Director Rian Johnson told Digital Spy: "He was an amazing discovery for me because I hadn't been familiar really with his work, and then Daniel brought him to my attention.
"Daniel knew him through Luca [Guadagnino], who directed Challengers and Queer, and so I watched Challengers and I was just like, 'Oh my god, this guy jumps off the screen'.
"And then I watched La Chimera and saw him do something equally as powerful, but in a totally different mode."
Director and Timeline
Denis Villeneuve, the director of Sicario and Blade Runner 2049, has been selected to helm the latest instalment. Producer Amy Pascal told Deadline we'll likely find out who's been cast by the "end of the year".
She said: "I would say the end of the year is a good bet. We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow.
"And it's got to be something really different that is a stirring and exciting and different."
