If Tom Hardy Isn’t The Next James Bond, Who Else Could Fill The Suit?
I am a big fan of Tom Hardy. He’s rugged enough to be a believable action hero, has almost inexhaustible charisma, and he cleans up well when I wants to. He would be a great catch for the James Bond franchise as 007, and I would happily stand in line to see him as Bond.
We have to accept the fact that Tom Hardy is a man with a busy schedule that’s filling up fast. He’s already committed to the second season of his show Taboo, which he also produces. He’s playing Venom, and if that’s successful (which it probably will be), you can expect his deep involvement in future Spider-man films. If that wasn’t enough, he’s been announced for two other movies: an adventure movie called War Party (plot unknown) and he’s going to be in the next Mad Max movie, currently called the Wasteland.
That’s a lot to have on your plate. While I do think that his odds of being Bond are better if Chris Nolan directs the next Bond, I’d argue that he shouldn’t be the only possibility producers consider. Eon Productions, and fans should be willing to give a chance to someone else as well.
Who, you ask? Here are some candidates whose profile is not at the same level, but who I also think are worth considering.
Travis Kimmel
He played Ragnar Lothbrok on Vikings. This gives him practice doing fight scenes and seducing women, two of the first things I think of when I think of Bond.
Although Ragnar is not your stereotypical dapper playboy gentleman, he had a definite charisma. As Dennis Perkins pointed out at the AV Club, Travis Fimmel made the idea of Ragnar as a forward thinking warrior king, work. All of that good stuff for a possible Bond.
Another pro for Travis is that he is more available than Tom Hardy. He’s also two years younger than Hardy, which means he could play the character for longer if he so chose.
Honestly, when I was drafting this argument in my mind, I knew somebody, somewhere will daftly spout “But Travis is Australian”. Yes, he is, and that would make him the second Australian born Bond.
Also, I remember very clearly in 2005, when some fans were scoffing at the idea of James Bond being played by a natural Blonde, but that ended up working out pretty well, didn’t it? The same people who would demean an Australian playing Bond are probably the same people who forget that Sean Connery is Scottish, Timothy Dalton is Welsh, and Pierce Brosnan is Irish.
Michael Fassbender
Speaking of Irishmen, Michael Fassbender is one of the most charismatic and likable on-screen actors working today. His ability to project a sense of epic gravitas made him perfect for playing Magneto, Steve Jobs, and Macbeth. I didn’t like Assassin’s Creed much, but it does offer evidence of Fassbender’s ability to do hand-to hand combat scenes.
A key factor for choosing James Bond is how watchable the actor is. Let’s take Prometheus. In a cast that featured Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, and Noomi Rapace, he was the clear highlight. Part of that came down to the fact that David got better writing than Theron did. A lot of that was Fassbender’s ability to tackle roles with the eagerness and ferocity of a rugby player.
Do you want your Bond to be funny? Check him out again in Inglorious Basterds. Do you want your Bond to have a cruel side? Check out his Oscar nominated turn in 12 Years a Slave, as the monstrous Edwin Epps.
There’s an idea. If he can’t be Bond, than Michael Fassbender should certainly play a Bond villain! He’s got the physicality to be a threat to Bond ala Sean Bean in Goldeneye.
Idris Elba
A few months ago, the possibility of Idris Elba playing James Bond caused a lot of discussion. If you wanted to make a black James Bond, he’s a solid choice. He’s got acting ability to burn. He’s physically imposing, and as shown in Luther, he has a compelling danger around him.
My only gripe with choosing him is that he is already 45. No, he doesn’t look it. However, if he took the role, he’d be the oldest rookie Bond since Roger Moore.
We’ve also got to accept that the shortest gap between Bond films these days is 2 years. It takes time to write the script, arrange the production, cast all the stand alone players, and coordinate everyone’s schedule. From 2005 to 2015, Daniel Craig did 4 James Bond movies. That’s an average of one every 2 and a half years. If the next Bond also serves a three or four film tenure, it seems reasonable to assume that it would also take him about 10 years.
Do you really want Idris Elba to be like Roger Moore in A View to A Kill? Doing stunts where he is clearly in no danger, with a look that asks the camera “Why am I still doing this?” I don’t.
Luke Evans
Luke Evans has a long resume in franchise film-making. He was mostly recently seen as Gaston in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. He was one of the best parts of that movie, delivering believable athleticism. Luke did a lot to humanize Gaston as well, managing to sell Gaston’s attraction to Belle with the line“Ever since the war, I felt like I was missing something. She’s the only girl that gives me that…”
It’s true that the majority of his resume is himself playing villains. However, let’s go back to Daniel Craig for a minute. His biggest movie before Bond was Tomb Raider. Where he played a bad guy. So casting someone who was previously a bad guy is something that Bond has done before. Also, Evans’ turn as the Bard in the last two Hobbit movies sold me on the concept of Luke Evans: action hero. Also, right now he’s available.
How About An Unknown?
You know what would really be great? If Eon productions found someone you’ve never heard of. Someone between the ages of 30-45, whose resume is a little thin, but has what it takes to be Bond. Sean Connery’s pre-Bond resume consists of smaller scale productions and being the 12th listed person in The Longest Day. It was James Bond that made him a star. Daniel Craig also wasn’t a household name before Bond. Maybe Eon and fans should be willing to consider completely left-field candidates.
I care less about who is playing Bond, then if they do a good job combining parts of the character with parts of their own persona. What about you? Who would you like to play Bond?