The rumor that Harry Styles will be the next James Bond is gathering steam. Daniel’s Craig’s final 007 movie, No Time To Die has been in the can for almost a year, meaning EON Productions and MGM have had a substantial amount of time to line up his successor. Many names have been thrown into the hat, with the current frontrunner being Inception, The Dark Knight Rises and Venom star Tom Hardy. But lately, gossip has sprung up around former One Direction member Harry Styles.
This would be a controversial choice, as Styles is just 26 and to date, has only one major movie credit in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. But he’s been hinting at a renewed focus on acting over music for some time and last week refused to rule out playing 007.
Now, British betting site Ladbrokes has increased the odds of him taking the role from 100/1 to 25/1. This comes in the wake of stories apparently originating with Styles’ friends saying that he’s in meetings with the Bond production team and that it’s down to a choice between him and one other actor.
Of course, even at 25/1, it’s still unlikely. By comparison, Hardy’s odds have gone from 8/1 to 1/3, which practically makes him a lock. We’re not going to get an official announcement as to who’s stepping into the tuxedo until after the release of No Time To Die, though, which leaves a long time for gossip to build up given that it arrives in April.
Personally, I think Styles is a bit young and inexperienced to play James Bond, but it might be worth it simply to see people’s heads explode when they hear the news. I would also be very happy with Hardy in the role, who absolutely has the acting chops to make the part his own over the next few years. Still, for now, Daniel Craig is 007 and there’s one more big adventure to undergo.