Getting a new Bond is like getting a new Pope. It won’t happen that often in our lifetimes, and when the eventual new candidate is revealed, it’s frequently somebody whom the observers never saw coming. Until then, though, it is always fun to speculate.
Several names have been knocking around either at or near the top of the contender list for a while now. Aaron Taylor-Johnson continues to be linked. Henry Cavill remains a fan favorite, even if he has probably aged out of the debut opportunity now at 42, before a frame has been shot.
Another name that often gets linked is 35-year-old Callum Turner. The Masters of the Air star has been mentioned a few times. Now, however, it seems that something may have changed. He has suddenly been installed as the favorite across the betting markets. Do bookies know something?
Director Denis Villeneuve has wrapped principal photography on Dune: Part Three. While a lengthy post-production period is to be expected, he will also now be turning his attention to all things Bond. Meanwhile, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will have taken a few runs at the script by now, so the tone will be emerging, which, in turn, will allow them to seriously start thinking about their Bond selection.
Turner played Theseus, the brother of Newt Scamander, in the fantasy films Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Turner’s performance in the mystery series The Capture earned him a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. He has since starred as Joe Rantz in the biographical film The Boys in the Boat before taking on the role of John “Bucky” Egan in the miniseries Masters of the Air.
The reports, including one from The Telegraph, list him as not just slightly ahead, but as the big favorite for the role.
However, in reality, it is highly unlikely that screen tests have even started yet. Recently, Turner has been on holiday with his fiancée Dua Lipa at the GoldenEye resort at Oracabessa Bay, Jamaica. This was the former estate of Ian Fleming, where he wrote many of the Bond novels.
Is this basically just speculation based on his choice of holiday destination and the fact that his Mrs. is somebody who could probably belt out a decent Bond theme?
One thing you immediately notice about Turner that could count against him is… well, how do we put this… he looks like he might be a very good listener.
