A JAMES Bond favourite has taken himself out of the running after believing he’s “not the right person” for the role.
Ever since Daniel Craig said goodbye to the role in 2021 release No Time To Die, the role of super spy 007 has been up for grabs, with speculation rife over who should take over.
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Over time, bookies have placed their bets on a string of Hollywood A-listers to take on the role, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba and Henry Cavill.
With Amazon acquiring the 007 franchise from the Broccoli family, this was then extended to American stars including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Timothée Chalamet and Jacob Elordi.
But one emerging favourite – Top Gun 2 and Anyone But You star Glen Powell – has shut down speculation he could take his martini shaken, not stirred.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Glenn said simply: “I’m a Texan. My family and I joke around, I can play Jimmy Bond, but I should not be playing James Bond.
“Get an authentic Brit for that job. That’s who belongs in that tuxedo.”
In the 63 years James Bond has been on screen, seven actors have played the character – all of whom white men from the UK and Ireland.
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have portrayed the spy in the film series, with David Niven taking on the role in a non-official adaptation in 1967.
Debate has since spread over whether the franchise should deviate from tradition when it comes to the character, with James Bond and 007 code names that can be taken on by anyone.
At one stage, Gillian Anderson was being considered as the first female Bond, while Idris Elba has held firm as a favourite to become the first Black star to portray the spy.
However, some actors have noted they don’t want to play such an iconic character, as doing so would mean that they could be defined as “Bond” for the rest of their career.
The White Lotus star Theo James previously ruled himself out for that reason, telling The Guardian in 2024: “I do think there are better people for that job.
“And, honestly, it would be terrifying: if you do that, there’s no going back. You’re opening Pandora’s box there.”
The new favourite for the role is relative unknown actor James Nelson-Joyce, who played James ‘Yatesy’ Yates in BBC drama, Little Boy Blue, and Michael Kavanaugh in the gangster drama, This City is Ours.
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