It’s been a wild 24 hours for fans of Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
It was reported on Tuesday that the 33-year-old — best known for movies like Bullet Train, Tenet, and Kick-Ass — had been offered the role of James Bond, following in the footsteps of fellow Brit Daniel Craig, who departed the franchise in 2021 after starring in five films over 16 years.
Beating out the likes of Theo James and Henry Cavill, Aaron has been a Bond front-runner for quite some time now. However, the reports of his casting were soon followed by conflicting claims that he hadn’t been offered the part.
Now, with speculation taking hold of the internet, Rolling Stone UK has dropped a well-timed interview with the star, giving him a chance to comment on his potential future as 007.
Asked directly about the longstanding Bond rumors, Aaron pointedly declined to comment, telling the journalist that he’s only at liberty to discuss the movies he’s currently promoting.
After swerving the topic, he added: “I don’t feel like I need to have a future drawn out for me. I feel like: Whatever’s drawn out for me, I can fuckin’ do better.”
When discussing future 007 candidates back in 2022, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson indicated that they were looking to cast someone in their 30s, citing that the job would be a “10-, 12-year commitment.”
Based partly on this, Aaron has always been a favorite to take on the iconic role, and as a result, he’s carefully commented on the speculation numerous times.
His new quotes closely echo those he gave when asked about the Bond rumors last summer, telling Esquire: “It's not really for me to say anything… I have to go by the beat of my own drum. It’s my own path, what feels intuitive to me.”
After repeatedly failing to outright deny the rumors, he recently told Numéro magazine that he finds it “charming and wonderful” that so many people support the prospect of him being cast as Bond.
