Everybody has their own idea of the perfect face for the James Bond movies. There’s no time where that sentiment is best on display than when a new 007 is about to be chosen, which is exactly when we see ourselves at this current moment. As casting still hasn’t moved forward on the lead actor for Bond 26, many opinions are floating around, and Roger Moore’s son Geoffrey is the latest contributor to express some strong feelings on the matter.
Moore’s interview with Express sees the man espousing the belief that no matter who the next James Bond is, they have to be British. It’s far from a controversial point of view, and as Geoffrey Moore explained his case, it’s pretty much for the reasons you’d expect:
I mean, there’s a lot of talent out there, but he has to be English. It’s ridiculous to consider Bond being an American. You know, even if he’s got a flawless accent, he’s got to be British. It is an English franchise.
While past James Bond betting odds have seen Ian Fleming’s literary hero sticking to most of the same names, there has been a history of including some American actors in the mix. The late Burt Reynolds and Disney legend Dick Van Dyke are a couple of the most prolific men who almost played Bond from the colonies, and there was even a point when Roger Moore almost paved the way for another: if it weren’t for Moore reupping with the role for 1983’s Octopussy, James Brolin was insanely close to becoming the fourth 007.
Arguing why James Bond shouldn’t be played by an American almost always leads to a see-saw effect that sees people mentioning that superheroes like Batman and Superman shouldn’t be played by anyone outside of the U.S. With the likes of Robert Pattinson, Henry Cavill, and Christian Bale playing those DC heroes in past and present, it’s pretty easy for those debating this issue to note that if Bruce Wayne can be British, then James Bond can technically be American.
The era of Roger Moore’s James Bond looks to have been the closest an actor hailing from the U.S. has gotten to taking that top slot. While the betting odds may sometimes throw a similar curveball from time to time, it doesn’t look like the traditional casting of a British actor in this fabled tuxedo will be ending any time soon. So when Commander Bond does return, they’ll probably have that flawless accent that Geoffrey Moore cited above for all the right reasons.
Unless, of course, the right actor stateside can charm their way into franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael B. Wilson’s hearts in the near future. History has shown us that it's come close to happening before and that it's wise to never say never when it comes to the world of James Bond.
At the moment, Bond 26 is aiming for a 2024 start of production, with no release date set just yet. That being said, if you want to revisit some of Roger Moore’s 007 adventures, at the time of this writing a selection of those films are available with a Max subscription.
