Who should be the next James Bond? Book-makers seem to think it might be Jonathan Bailey, of Bridgerton fame, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Norton, Taron Egerton, Leo Woodall (One Day) and The Gentlemen’s Theo James are all still in the running. It’s possible to imagine any of them quizzically raising an eyebrow while drinking retro cocktails and romancing impossibly gorgeous women. But is that honestly what we want to see when the long-running spy saga eventually returns to the big screen?
The most recent 007, played by Daniel Craig, always felt like he was one small slip away from falling down a rightwing rabbit hole. He was arrogant, self-righteous and self-pitying, and if it weren’t for the excellent writing and Craig’s wonderfully nuanced performance, he might have represented the epitome of early 21st-century toxic masculinity. A posh Andrew Tate for the YouTube generation. As it was, Bond’s vulnerability, off-key selflessness and basic nobility complicated the picture. It’s hard to be scornful of someone when they clearly have a death wish, and would risk their own life in a heartbeat to save their loved ones, even if they do go about it all with a certain narcissistic swagger.
