Thanks to ongoing delays, audiences have been left wondering whether we will ever see Daniel Craig’s last outing as the famous secret agent, James Bond, in the upcoming No Time to Die. Despite previous dismissal from producers that another actor is currently being courted to take over the role once Craig steps down, an outside choice for 007, that of Bridgerton star Reg&é-Jean Page, is slowly becoming a firm favorite, with a recent social media post teasing the idea.
“Regency, royalty. Shaken and stirred.”
The post was made by Reg&é-Jean Page himself, and features the actor dressed to the nines and walking confidently towards camera before raising a Roger Moore-esque eyebrow. Fans of James Bond will, of course, recognise the second part of the caption, with Page potentially teasing his espionage aspirations.
At present, Page has odds of 20-1 to be the next actor to take up the 007 mantle, but no doubt this will improve if fan reaction is anything to go by. “I think they should line Rege-Jean Page up as the next Bond,” said one of the actor’s followers, with another adding, “If Reg&é-Jean Page isn’t being touted for the role, let’s get this campaign bus moving.”
Page is currently heating up screens with smouldering glances as the Duke of Hastings in the Netflix series Bridgerton. “The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels,” reads the official synopsis. While the series amply demonstrates the actor’s charm and desirability, previous roles in the likes of Mortal Engines prove that he is no stranger to the kind of action necessary when on her Majesty’s secret service.
Should the 31-year-old British-Zimbabwean up-and-comer be chosen to take over the martini-swigging spy, he would be the first actor of a Mixed ethnic background to play the part of Ian Fleming’s famous creation. Every cinematic Bond to date has been played by a white male, with producer Barbara Broccoli previously asserting that the 007 role is open to an actor of any ethnicity but will remain male. “He can be of any colour, but he is male,” she said last year.
While we remain in limbo awaiting the release of No Time to Die and wondering who will be next to don the tuxedo, one James Bond expert recently ruled out Man of Steel star Henry Cavill as the 007 replacement. Editor of International Journal of James Bond Studies Dr. Ian Kinane stated that Cavill likely won’t ever be Bond as he’s “too famous,” while also dismissing other popular choices for the role such as Idris Elba and Tom Hardy for the same reason, putting Page even more in contention.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Fukunaga, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, No Time to Die picks up five years after the capture of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, with James Bond having now left active service. He is approached by Felix Leiter, his friend, and a CIA officer, who enlists his help in the search for Valdo Obruchev, a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that Obruchev was abducted, James Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before. No Time to Die is currently scheduled to be released on 2 April 2021.
All told, the only two boxes that a potential Bond actor needs to tick are: do they look good in a tuxedo, and do they look like they can throw a punch? In which case, Reg&é-Jean Page is perfect. This comes to us courtesy of Reg&é-Jean Page’s official Twitter account.