After having his name pop up in rumors about who will play the next James Bond, this Marvel star finally shared his reaction to the idea of suiting up as 007.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who played Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron) is just one of many names who have potentially been attached to take up the mantle of the world's most famous on-screen secret agent.
After Daniel Craig's take on the character went out with a bang in No Time to Die, MGM and the James Bond rights shepherds, the Broccoli family, have been (pun intended) on a mission to find their next Bond.
Despite what some internet threads may say, it's a search that has had no info made public. Nothing is confirmed, and the likes of Regé-Jean Page, John Boyega, and, of course, Aaron Taylor-Johnson remain on the radar for the star-making role.
Aaron Taylor Johnson on James Bond Rumors
Kraven star Aaron Taylor-Johnson finally broke his silence after months of rumors regarding him joining the next James Bond project.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Taylor-Johnson called the speculation "flattering." He said despite all the whispers, it's important to "stay grounded" and not "[believe] the shit people say about you:"
"It’s flattering. You can have something really positive [written about you], but you can also have something really negative that can circulate. You just want to stay in your lane, stay grounded, stay around the people that you love and love you back, and stay in that world. Because the moment you start believing the shit people say about you, you’ve lost your fucking mind. You’ve lost it."
According to a report from last Fall, Taylor-Johnson had a meeting with the Broccoli family, making him the clear front-runner for the role.
This is a similarly diplomatic response that Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page had to the idea of him being talked to play Bond. Page told Vanity Fair as well that "it’s terribly flattering" to simply be in the conversation:
"It’s a conversation people are having, and it’s terribly flattering that they’re having it. I leave them to it."
When asked if he would do it, Page noted "I [has] no idea." He has "enough on [his] plate at the moment:"
"I have no idea. It’s not a thing that is fully occupying my thoughts. I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment. I worry about the work I have, not other people’s jobs."
Who Will Play the Next James Bond?
Right now, answering the question of who will take on the role of James Bond next feels like an impossible question to answer.
The powers that be have remained tight-lipped, with Taylor-Johnson the odds-on favorite at the time of writing. However, fans do have their first hints of when they may find out who will play the debonaire icon.
Speaking at an event back in June of last year (via TimeOut), overseer of everything Bond Barbara Broccoli revealed that they were "working out where to go with him." She remarked at the time that "there [wasn’t] a script," and "filming is at least two years away:"
"Nobody’s in the running. We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away."
So with filming potentially coming sometime next year, that likely means the world will have its new James Bond by the end of 2023.
While nothing has been 100% officially confirmed, one insider (who has a knack for breaking this kind of news) has Aaron Taylor-Johnson pegged as the character, hinting at "a mini trailer" announcing him can be expected in "March / April 2023."
For now, though, all fans can do is wait as the 007 mantle remains up for grabs on its way to Bond 26.
