14 DAY TRIAL // Daniel Craig is still contractually bound to do at least another James Bond movie after “SPECTRE,” which opens worldwide next month, but there’s a lot of interest in his possible replacement. Tom Hardy’s name has been thrown around in this conversation at least for a couple of years now.
In fact, it’s been thrown around so much that the rumor even reached his ears. That says a lot if you think that Hardy isn’t the kind of star who likes to read his own press or, for that matter, keep up with others’.
Should the chance ever present itself to Hardy, he would take it, he tells Standard. He would be a fool if he didn’t, because playing the famous 007 agent is an honor that many British actors would do anything to have.
“I would love to do it. Who wouldn’t? If I did get the chance, I would smash it out the park,” Hardy says. “I believe Daniel will do one more. He, [director] Sam Mendes, [producers] Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson are an amazing team and have really got it cracked. Why would they want to break up that winning formula?”
Indeed, why would they do that right now? They shouldn’t, but they will have to when Craig’s contract is up. He’s made no secret of how much he hates having to do heavy promotion for a franchise, just like he’s made no secret of how badly he wants out of Bond because it’s too time-consuming and physically challenging.
Craig isn’t getting any younger either, which is why another movie after the next one seems unlikely.