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Speculation continues over the new James Bond adventure, which will be directed by Dune director Denis Villeneuve and written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Now that key filmmaking positions have been announced, all the new era of the 007 saga needs is a fresh secret agent.
From Aaron Taylor-Johnson to three reported studio favourites, all bets are (still) off. Or are they?
Reports of a relatively unknown actor have surfaced, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming that Scott Rose-Marsh has screen tested for the role of the new 007.
The 37-year-old British actor was brought in sometime in late June to read sides from 1995 Bond film GoldenEye. It is suggested he may have performed pages from Knight’s in-progress script for Bond 26.
Reports claims the London BRIT School graduate “was given just one piece of direction before the test cameras rolled: Don’t impersonate a previous Bond.”
Rose-Marsh has a handful of film and TV credits, including the 2021 independent movie Krays: Code Of Silence (2021), as well as the UK TV shows Chloe (2021) and The Outlaws (2021-22).
This news goes against reports that Amazon, which bought the 007 franchise for a reported $1 billion this year and are now in creative control, are looking for a younger actor in his 20s for the next Bond.
It also confirms that the race to become the next James Bond is an unpredictable one, as there has never been a redheaded 007.
Should Rose-March make it through the audition process and become the new Bond, he’ll doubtlessly have UK tabloid headlines to deal with – especially considering the ridiculous fuss made over Daniel Craig’s blond hair when he was cast in 2005.
Still, it’s early in the process and no official statements have been released regarding casting.
Elsewhere, Succession star Brian Cox, who also hosts the Prime Video reality competition show spin-off 007: Road to a Million, recently said Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy would be an “interesting” choice to play James Bond.
In an interview with Radio Times, Cox asked: “Is Cillian Murphy being recommended? I think that would be interesting. I like Cillian. He’s very real, he’s got no crap about him.”
In the interview, Cox went on to describe Valdimir Putin as a “definite villain” and criticised Donald Trump’s administration.
“There’s certainly a lot of people around who I feel are villainous,” said the 79-year-old Scottish actor, adding: “With what’s happening in Ukraine, Putin is a definite villain, for my money.”
“I think some of the American behaviour has definitely been unthinking,” said Cox. “What’s tragic is that America was built on the notion of egalitarianism, and the present administration don’t want us to be equal.”
There is still no official release date or title for the 26th 007 movie.
