Aidan Turner has addressed the long-running rumours he could be the next James Bond.
The Poldark star, 40, was one of quite a few on the list of contenders to be the next 007 when Daniel Craig stepped down from the role following No Time To Die in 2021.
Of course, many actors’ names have floated around the rumour mill since Craig’s exit, but now Aidan – who starred in BBC series Poldark as the titular character for three years until 2019 – has addressed whether he’d ever consider it.
Chatting to Metro.co.uk on the TV Baftas red carpet this evening, Aidan couldn’t believe it was almost 15 years since the BBC period drama first hit the screens – and no, he’s ‘probably’ not going back there.
‘I’ve probably moved on from [Poldark] now. We’re all doing different things. But you can never say never to anything, especially when people get on and there’s more story to tell. But let’s say probably not,’ he said.
Addressing the 007 rumours, Aidan said: ‘There’s a lot of actors [rumoured to be the next James Bond], 20 or 30 actors. Years ago I heard a bit about it, I haven’t heard a lot about it over the last couple of years.’
When asked whether he would consider it, Aidan replied: ‘Probably not.’
Well, that’s the end of that.
This comes weeks after reports that a British actor had been formally offered the role of the troubled spy were dismissed.
It had been claimed that the search was over, with reports saying Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who had previously been evasive about becoming the next James Bond, had been cast.
A production insider then told the BBC that there was ‘no truth’ in the report and that Aaron has not been offered Bond.
A source previously told The Sun that Bond is ‘Aaron’s job’ if he wants it.
‘Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back,’ they said before the BBC source rubbished this claim.
The Aaron rumours didn’t appear out of thin air though, as he responded cryptically when asked about the role in a previous interview.
‘I just focus on the things I can have in my hands right now,’ he replied to Esquire.
Plus, it was claimed he impressed in a secret audition for producer Barbara Broccoli at Pinewood Studios in 2022.
Alongside Aidan and Aaron, other actors tipped for the role include the likes of Idris Elba and Happy Valley’s James Norton
According to predictions at the time of writing from Ladbrokes, Aaron is still favourite to become the next Bond, while Snowfall star Damson Idris’ odds are 9/2, and Happy Valley’s James comes in at 5/1. Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page also has 6/1 odds.
That’s without mentioning the actors who have thrown their hats into the ring, with Emily in Paris star Lucien Laviscount doing just this days ago.
‘I think, at some point, to play James Bond would be the ultimate,’ he told Us Weekly. ‘I’d love to dive into more action roles.
‘We shot a movie last year that was one fight sequence after another, with explosions going off left and right. I absolutely loved it.’
Meanwhile, Aidan is starring alongside David Tennant in an upcoming drama called Rivals – based on Jilly Cooper’s famed book of the same name.
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