Daniel Craig performed well as James Bond, from Casino Royale to No Time to Die, but for him, the fun ended with the latter, which, according to him, wasn't all that fun in some ways. The big question now is who will be his successor because, just like Superman is essential to pop culture, Bond is equally irreplaceable. Recently, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been repeatedly asked whether he will indeed step into Craig's shoes, and now Josh O'Connor, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning star of The Crown, is being harassed with the same question, thanks to a conversation he had with Craig. He cleverly explained how his name even came up.
O'Connor, a 34-year-old British actor known for his roles in Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders, as well as prestigious films like Lee and Challengers, would seem like a perfect fit for Bond based on his career, background, and age. So, why not? However, he's not as excited about the rumor. He told Deadline the following:
"Honestly, I have no thoughts on it. The truth is… I may have made a joke about it one week, saying it would be funny if I played Bond, right? Then Daniel and I sat down to talk for the Actors on Actors series, and things happened, and suddenly I was James Bond. So, if I am the new Bond, I don’t know about it."
In one of last year’s episodes of Variety's Actors on Actors series, O'Connor and Craig sat down to discuss the fact that both appeared in films by Luca Guadagnino: O'Connor in Challengers and Craig in Queer. That's what connects them, not James Bond—at least, not for now. By the way, O'Connor also spoke to Deadline about the premiere of the American drama Rebuilding at the Sundance Film Festival, where he plays a cowboy whose ranch burns down, and he ends up in a refugee camp, where he reunites with his ex-wife and daughter.
Do you think O'Connor would make a good Bond? Behind the scenes, though, there are some issues—producers have had a falling out with Amazon, so we likely won't see a new James Bond film for a while.
