According to new reports, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be handed a Licence to Kill.
The 32-year-old actor, who grew up in High Wycombe, Bucks, is said to have dazzled Bond boss Barbara Broccoli in a screen test just before Christmas.
Ever since Daniel Craig announced that he hanging up his holster and was no longer going to play Ian Fleming’s super-spy, speculation has been rife about who might take over.
Broccoli stipulated she had had three criteria for the new Bond: he must be a man, he must be able to take over for the next 15 years, and he must be British.
Taylor-Johnson is currently a 2-1 shot with Ladbrokes, closely followed by James Norton at 5/2 and Superman actor Henry Cavill at 3/1. Richard Madden, Tom Hardy and Rege-Jean Page are all between 7/1 and 8/1.
Now the respected industry website Puck is hinting the virtual unknown could have beaten them all to the prize: ‘The Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumours are true,’ the site announced. ‘He sat with producer Barbara Broccoli, and the meeting went well.’
But Taylor-Johnson – at odds of 2-1 – seems to be the natural choice as, both personally and professionally, he has so much in common with the six men who have played Bond before him.
He’s an action hero, as was Timothy Dalton, a model like George Lazenby, and an actor since childhood, just like Daniel Craig. Even his personal life is pure 007 – from the blended stepfamily to his penchant for a much older woman.