I'm pretty sure Jackman is out of the running, because he just signed a three-picture deal with Disney for musicals. I can't see it being Dougray Scott, because he played the Sean Bean role in a rival spy franchise, and I think that's a no. I don't think it will be Davenport - too young, far too unknown outside the UK, and too known in the UK for playing twits. McGregor's far too famous and has STAR WARS already. Jude Law's too famous and doesn't look like Bond. Ditto Hugh Grant. Dominic West - I can't see them going for someone so ugly.
For me, the candidates are
Owen
Purefoy, Butler, Gruffudd or someone along those lines - mid-ranking, British, been screen-tested or mentioned a lot, conventiknally good-looking.
Someone we've not even considered: Daniel Craig, Richard Armitage, Hugh Dancy.
I don't know what to make of Owen's denials. In the American issue of Esquire on news-stands now, with Owen on the cover, there's this:
'There are signs that he's less diamond-hard than he used to be. He's stopped smoking; on film, he's puffing herbals. He's become something of a fashion dandy. Even when he's down at the pub he'll wear a suit, albeit something understated, quiet and mob smooth like his acting. The watch he's wearing today is understated, too, but expensive and elegant. He's even been cast by public opinion as the next James Bond. Now it's just a question of how he'll play it: Sean Connery or Roger Moore?'
The herbals thing is worrying - what will Lark do?
But seriously - these articles are vetted. Owen and his agent would have read it. They haven't directly asked him about it (same as the GQ article a couple of months back), but they've mentioned it. Now it's just a question of how he'll play it? I don't know. It would be easy enough for him to say, once signed, that he never talks about projects until they're done deals, and that if he'd said anything else beforehand it would have affected negotiations. Which I think would be true - anything but a flat-out denial from Owen would have the world presuming he's the next Bond. They're practically doing that already (see above). But then, perhaps it's all just wishful thinking (a la Jackman and Adrian Paul fans!), in which case I think Butler might be next to don the tux.
Edited by spynovelfan, 15 February 2005 - 09:36 AM.
), myself Owen, etc.), but, look, do we need yet another thread discussing who should be Bond?
