The speculation surrounding which actor will be chosen to play the latest iteration of action and espionage icon James Bond continues to run rife. But maybe the best choice for the coveted role has already been found? A favorite for the new 007 for some time, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
clearly contains all the ingredients necessary to make a great 007, and while he may now be the obvious choice for the role (he’s been the bookies’ favorite on and off for a while now), perhaps, in this case, the obvious choice is simply the best choice.
Whether looking back at his prior roles, which include action, romance, thrillers, and more, or whether simply looking at the tall, dark, and handsome man himself, Aaron Taylor-Johnson undeniably has everything needed to make a great James Bond and thus keep the beloved franchise alive and lead whatever shape the reboot takes into the future. So, let’s break down why Taylor-Johnson, while being the obvious choice, is also the right one.
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Release Date
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October 8, 2021
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Runtime
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163 Minutes
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Cast
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Daniel Craig
, Rami Malek
, Lea Seydoux
, Ralph Fiennes
, Lashana Lynch
, Jeffrey Wright
, Billy Magnussen
, Dali Benssalah
, Naomie Harris
, Rory Kinnear
, Ben Whishaw
, Ana De Armas
, David Dencik
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Prior Roles Prove He Has What It Takes to Be 007
Aaron Taylor-Johnson now has a vast array of roles from across the spectrum of genres behind him. Stepping into the spotlight as John Lennon in the Beatles biopic Nowhere Boy, the actor quickly joined the realm of superheroes, excelling as the fledgling costumed vigilante Kick-Ass and later Kick-Ass 2, before adding his name to the MCU as Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron. So, already, we’ve seen him as a man destined for greatness and a fist-fighting action hero. What more could you want?
Okay, so you want more. Taylor-Johnson has proven himself adept at all sorts of characters, including hero roles in the likes of Godzilla, Tenet, and The King’s Man, a romantic lead in Anna Karenina, and tapped into his dark side in the superbly eerie Nocturnal Animals. He did that without even mentioning his other action fare in Bullet Train, The Fall Guy, and Kraven the Hunter. Clearly, he possesses everything necessary (and then some) to make a captivating Bond.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Has the Action, Comedy & Drama Muscles Needed for Bond
Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with Taylor-Johnson’s back catalog, it’s clear that the actor has muscles. And we’re not just talking about the ones necessary to sell a tiny trunks moment, ala Casino Royale. To really deliver as 007, whoever is chosen needs to be able to stretch not just their action muscles but their dramatic and comedy ones, too.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s career so far not only shows off his talent as an actor but also his adeptness at leaping from action to drama to comedy in the blink of an eye. A quality needed for 007 and the sheer number of personas at his disposal in his life as a spy. Much like Bond himself, who is able to slip into any scenario, Taylor-Johnson can glide effortlessly across genres and even from smaller, more isolated stories, as in the likes of Nocturnal Animals and The Wall to major big-budget blockbusters like Bullet Train and Kraven.
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Not only that, his vast genre experience also suggests that Taylor-Johnson could bring together the many facets of Bond, combining the comedy of Roger Moore, the suaveness of Sean Connery, and the grit of Daniel Craig to create something completely different.
He Meets All the Necessary Criteria as Laid Out by the Producers
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been a favorite for the role of James Bond for some time. And it’s not hard to see why. Tall, dark, and handsome, the actor possesses all the criteria as laid out recently by long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Speaking with The Independent back in November last year, the pair revealed that the next actor chosen to be James Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021’s No Time to Die will be “a man” and will be “in his 30s.” Not only that, the actor will need to “agree to doing at least a decade’s worth of films.”
Considering Taylor-Johnson is both a man, aged 34, and isn’t tied down to any major franchises (the Sony Spider-Man Universe is now dead, and his character in 28 Years Later will surely also end up in the grave eventually if the other movies in the franchise are any clue), he ticks all the James Bond boxes.
James Bond Fans (and Experts) Want Him to Do It
Not only has Aaron Taylor-Johnson been one of the top choices among 007 fans for a while now, often finding his name alongside Venom star Tom Hardy, Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill, and Luther star Idris Elba, but James Bond expert and president of 007GB: The British James Bond Fan Club, Philip Dewhurst, can see the Nosferatu star slipping effortlessly into the iconic tux.
Speaking with MailOnline back in March 2024, Dewhurst explained that “Bond films are reflective of what is going on in the world but they don’t follow the exact same blueprint.” Believing that the “best Bonds are the ones that are somewhere in between” the source material and something unique, Dewhurst agrees that “Taylor-Johnson has it in him to be rough, but he could be romantic and he can be very suave and quite funny. These are all things you need to be Bond.” So, if you don’t want to listen to us, then at least take it from the experts: Aaron Taylor-Johnson has got what it takes.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Could Be Very Different to Daniel Craig’s 007
Rebooting the James Bond franchise after the Daniel Craig era will be no easy task. Whether the series continues to be set in the modern day or whether the studio decides to take the adventures back in time to the 1950s and, thus, the setting of the novels is yet to be determined. But one thing’s for sure: they are going to need to differentiate themselves from Craig’s legacy.
The easiest (and fastest) way to do this is to present audiences with a very different kind of Bond. And Aaron Taylor-Johnson could well be the answer. Not only could the actor bring a seriously dark edge to the role alongside the swagger, ramping up the somewhat sadistic nature teased by Craig’s Bond (remember the devilish smile that spreads across his face when he blows up a bomber in Casino Royale?), he could also bring a lot more comedy and chutzpah to the role. Take his Bullet Train character, remove the mustache and drop the accent, and you could have a very different, but still familiar enough, James Bond ready to lead the latest iteration. Aaron Taylor-Johnson can next be seen in 28 Years Later, which debuts in theaters on June 20, 2025.
