Shooting on James Bond 25, Craig’s fifth and final 007 movie, is believed to have begun this week in Norway. And while the movie isn’t released until April 2020, fans have been speculating over just who could replace the 51-year-old in a reboot. And now Mail on Sunday’s Bond source claims that Outlander star Heughan has had a call from 007 producers, asking for him to audition for Barbara Broccoli as she prepares for the franchise reboot. The source said: “It has been 36 years since there was a Scottish Bond in Sean Connery and producers are looking for someone to emulate that success.”
They added: “Sam is an experienced actor, he’s in great shape and he has a cheeky side which is appealing as the bosses want Bond to have more to him.”
Fans should take this claim with a large grain of salt, seeing as it’s unlikely that Broccoli will be auditioning for Craig’s replacement until after Bond 25 is out in cinemas.
After all, there was a three-year gap in-between Pierce Brosnan’s final Bond movie Die Another Day and when Craig was announced as the new 007.
Nevertheless, when the time comes Heughan will probably get an audition and here’s why.
He may be way down the odds at 50-1 to be the next Bond, but Heughan has auditioned for Bond before.
Last year the 38-year-old appeared on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan and was asked if he would ever like to play 007.
He said: “Have I thought about it? Yeah, I have a few times.
“I did audition for Bond a long time ago when they were redoing it with Daniel Craig when he was Bond 21.”
He added: “They were going to go younger with him and it was a pretty good experience.”
Famously Henry Cavill also auditioned for Casino Royale and was even director Martin Campbell’s choice, however at just 22-years-old he was considered too young.
Certainly, Bond actors like Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan who failed to bag the role the first time around ended up playing 007 later – so fans should keep an eye on Heughan and Cavill now they’re around the right age.
Bond 25 will be released in UK cinemas on April 3, 2020.