British actor Josh O’Connor has responded to rumors he is in the running to lead James Bond 26. Having recently starred opposite Zendaya in the 2024 sports drama Challengers, O’Connor previously earned himself both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Prince Charles in Netflix’s The Crown season 4. In recent months, however, O’Connor’s name has also joined the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hardy, and Sam Heughan, as a potential favorite to succeed Daniel Craig as the next 007.

Speaking with ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, O’Connor spoke to the rumors that he was being considered for Bond, admitting that he seemingly appears to have entered the race from an offhanded joke. Explaining that he originally joked that it would have been funny for him to play 007 and, following an appearance on Actors on Actors alongside Craig, his name was suddenly being floated as a potential contender. Check out his comments below:

I have no thoughts, really. The truth is that … I think in the space of a week, I made a joke about, wouldn’t it be funny if I played Bond? Then, me and Daniel [Craig] did an Actors on Actors, and then something else happened, and then suddenly I was James Bond. If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.

What Josh O’Connor’s Comments Mean For The Next James Bond Casting

The Rumors Surrounding The Next 007 Are Reaching Fever Pitch

Few roles are as coveted or closely watched as that of the world’s most illustrious MI-6 agent. Having served as a pop culture stalwart since his first big screen outing in 1962’s Dr. No, the task of selecting the next in line to carry Bond’s mantle has drawn increasing interest with each successive recasting. With the official Bond franchise now set to name its seventh 007, the age of social media has now seen that interest rise to previously unseen heights.

In an age where even the most innocuous comments can spark a veritable avalanche of viral casting rumors, O’Connor’s most recent comments only highlight how easy it is for fandoms to latch onto the smallest sliver of information without more concrete details. With Eon Productions still yet to make their final decision, and their efforts being seemingly hampered by recent reports of creative differences with Amazon MGM studios over the franchise’s direction, it will likely be some time yet before audiences finally learn who will be the next to inherit Bond’s licence to kill.

Our Take On The Protracted Search For The Next Bond

Audiences Have Previously Had To Wait Longer

It has nearly been three and a half years since Craig’s final outing in No Time To Die, and thus far the franchise does not appear any closer to choosing his eventual successor. While this delay may prove frustrating for many, it would not be the first time audiences have been forced to wait an extended period for a new Bond movie. With Pierce Brosnan’s debut in 1995’s GoldenEye taking place six years after Timothy Dalton’s Licence to Kill, it would seem there is still some time left to choose the next lead for James Bond 26.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline