Next James Bond candidate remains coy about being cast as 007 amid "flattering" rumours

Media speculation, odds from bookmakers and Hollywood chit-chat would have us believe that about 50 different actors could wind up being cast as the next James Bond. We even listed a fair few of them as recently as yesterday.

But one actor who was heavily rumoured shortly after Daniel Craig’s final 007 outing in 2021 has found himself firmly back in the fray, starring alongside ex-Bond star Pierce Brosnan in the movie Black Bag.

Now, Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page has been questioned directly about being linked with the James Bond franchise after Amazon MGM Studios gained complete creative control. Page, 37, fits many of the criteria fans and producers alike have for the next James Bond.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said: “It's not something I've thought about very much. I'm a bit of a racehorse, I focus intensely on what's in front of me, and then I go back to the stable and go to sleep.

“So I haven't really meditated on it much.”

Black Bag co-star Naomie Harris - who played Eve Moneypenny during Craig’s era - has also given Page her backing. She said: “I think we should nominate Rege and then also just ensure they bring back the old band. I would vote for it a hundred percent, but my vote doesn't count. If it did, I'd vote for it.”

Back in 2023, Page told Vanity Fair that the rumours about him being the next James Bond were “terribly flattering”. He said: “It’s a conversation people are having, and it’s terribly flattering that they’re having it. I leave them to it.

“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.”