Aaron Taylor-Johnson Emerges As Leading Candidate To Take Over James Bond Role From Daniel Craig

British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 33, is poised to succeed Daniel Craig‘s iconic role of James Bond after Craig’s 15 years portraying the character.

Insiders cited by U.K. newspaper The Sun indicate that Taylor-Johnson has received a formal offer and is expected to finalize the contract this week.

The insider told The Sun, “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.”

The insider further added, “Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days, and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”

Rumors of Taylor-Johnson’s potential involvement in the James Bond franchise began to circulate after Craig departed from the role.

In 2019, Craig, 56, confirmed that No Time To Die (released in 2021) would mark his final portrayal of James Bond. In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, when asked directly if he was done with Bond, Craig responded with a definitive “Yes.”

As he reflected on his journey as the iconic spy, Craig expressed his love for the role, “This may be hard to believe but I love the fact I’m Bond… We’re in rare air, making Bond movies. It is one of the most intense, fulfilling things I’ve ever done, but it takes a lot of energy and I’m getting old. I’m getting creaky.”

In October 2023, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli hinted at the franchise’s future after Craig’s departure and emphasized the need to reinvent the series for its next chapter. In a conversation with The Guardian, she stated, “I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter, and we haven’t even begun with that.”

Taylor-Johnson, known for his roles in Marvel films and his marriage to director Sam Taylor-Johnson, evaded the speculation in an interview with Esquire in 2023. He asserted his commitment to his future, “It’s my own path, what feels intuitive to me. I’ve never made a decision based on other people’s perspectives, or their judgments, or their expectations of me.”

In an exclusive interview with uInterview in 2009, Taylor-Johnson revealed why she cast Aaron as John Lennon and then fell in love. 

“I saw a lot of people and no one really came to the audition with that ability to carry such a role and I knew that Aaron had been on the set of Kick-Ass so when he arrived I didn’t really hold out high expectations,” she said. “I thought you know, he hasn’t had time to research this and I don’t know what he’s gonna bring to this, but he came in the room as Lennon and that was pretty impressive for a first casting.”