In recent months, Josh O’Connor has found himself the subject of some speculation suggesting that he may be our next James Bond. So, what does the actor think about the matter?
“I have no thoughts, really,” he told Deadline this afternoon with a smile. “The truth is that…I think in the space of a week, I made a joke about, wouldn’t it be funny if I played Bond? Then, me and Daniel [Craig] did an Actors on Actors, and then something else happened, and then suddenly I was James Bond. If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.”
O’Connors comments came during an appearance at Deadline’s Sundance Studio in support of his new drama, Rebuilding, in which he plays Dusty, a cowboy looking to begin again after seeing his ranch burn down in devastating Colorado wildfires. Among those appearing alongside him today was co-star Kali Reis — best known for her Emmy-nominated turn in True Detective: Night Country — who joked on the prospect of his playing Bond, “Just as long as I can be your sidekick.”
O’Connor is just the latest of many actors rumored for Bond, one of the most closely watched parts in town, at a time when the future of the franchise appears up in the air. (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Regé-Jean Page, Sam Heughan, Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill are among the others who have been discussed in the same breath as the franchise.)
The most recent James Bond film, No Time to Die, marked the final appearance as Bond for Daniel Craig, who’s been on the awards circuit this season with A24’s Queer. That film premiered in 2021, and for now, it remains unclear when we’ll see another installment move toward production. The prospect may be hampered by an alleged feud reported on recently between Amazon, which acquired Bond studio MGM for $6.5B in 2022, and the Broccoli family, which controls the franchise — one that’s said to have resulted in a creative impasse.
In any case, O’Connor has a pretty full slate to attend to at the moment. Coming off rave reviews for his work opposite Zendaya and Mike Faist in Luca Guadagnino’s tennis love triangle pic Challengers, he’ll soon be seen starring opposite former Bond Craig in Rian Johnson’s new Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man, as well as Steven Spielberg’s untitled event film for Universal and Amblin. Other upcoming projects include Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Oliver Hermanus’s The History of Sound.
For video of our chat with O’Connor on Rebuilding, check back later.
