S Poddar
These days, since some months are passed, some people are raising Josh O’ Connor’s names to be selected the next James Bond. Josh, born and brought up in the Britain with remarkable acts has become hot on these reports but what would he say of that?
“I have no thoughts, really,” O’Connor said to Deadline with a smile. “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.”
He made his comments during an appearance on Deadline’s Sundance Studio to promote his latest drama, Rebuilding. The picture sees him playing Dusty, a cowpunk determined to start anew after the loss of his ranch due to the terrible Colorado wildfires. With him was co-star Kali Reis, whom audiences will remember for her Emmy-nominated turn in True Detective: Night Country. Reis joked about the Bond talk, saying, “Just as long as I can be your sidekick.
O’Connor joins a long list of actors rumored to be in the running for one of cinema’s most iconic roles. Over the years, names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Sam Heughan, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill have all been linked to the franchise. With the future of James Bond currently uncertain, speculation about the next 007 continues to dominate discussions in Hollywood.
The last film of the franchise was No Time to Die, in which Daniel Craig finally leaves the character’s shoes in 2021. There has not been any word or statement about the release of the following film. Recent reports indicate creative standstill between the acquisition of the Bond studio, MGM, acquired by Amazon in 2022 for $6.5 billion and the Broccoli family, owners of the bond franchise. The reported dispute, according to The Wall Street Journal, has potentially derailed progress on the next chapter of the legendary spy series.
Despite the swirling rumors, O’Connor has stuck to a packed schedule. He’ll next appear in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, which he received critical acclaim for alongside Zendaya and Mike Faist. He is then scheduled to join former Bond actor Daniel Craig in Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated sequel, Knives Out titled Wake Up Dead Man. He also appears in Steven Spielberg’s untitled event film with Universal and Amblin, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, and Oliver Hermanus’s The History of Sound.
Not that he has so many high-profile projects lined up, O’Connor is not really given much time to think about the Bond rumors. Whether he does it or not, his career trajectory keeps on soaring, putting him among one of the most talented actors for his generation.
