The New James Bond

[sk9tingfan]

This is the new James Bond. I can't see it, but then again, I've never seen anything he has acted in. What do I know?

https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1770043719883890821

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Offered James Bond Role, Reports Say

He would be the eighth actor to take on the iconic role since the film series began in 1962.

time.com

Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Note that his wife is 24 years older than him!

 

[Jenny]

Oh I hope this is true! I've been a fan of him for years - he's a great actor who has shown a lot of breadth in his roles; I think he can do this.

In recent years he's also done quite a bit of modelling.

 

[vgerdes]

I was still kind of holding out hope for Henry Cavill, but I'm not mad at this choice.

 

[Vagabond]

James Bondstein.

 

[MacMadame]

I wanted Idris Elba. Oh well. I think generally they wanted someone for Bond less famous than Elba or Cavill. That's the vibe I was getting.

This dude plays Pietro Maximoff in various Avengers films. I am not seeing Bond from what I saw in those performances.

 

[attyfan]

He may not have the part yet:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/19/entertainment/aaron-taylor-johnson-james-bond-rumor-intl/index.html

 

[Karen-W]

I wanted Idris Elba. Oh well. I think generally they wanted someone for Bond less famous than Elba or Cavill. That's the vibe I was getting.

This dude plays Pietro Maximoff in various Avengers films. I am not seeing Bond from what I saw in those performances.

He definitely doesn't strike me as Bond in that pic used for the article. I would have expected someone like Theo James, tbh.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I first saw him in Anna Karenina and found him intriguing. Am happy with this choice.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Henry Cavill is eye-candy for me (have you seen him in the Tudors? Drool). I like Aaron’s acting, the last one I watched was Bullet Train. I first saw him in Anna Karenina. This is exciting!

 

[Aussie Willy]

Henry Cavill is eye-candy for me (have you seen him in the Tudors? Drool). I like Aaron’s acting, the last one I watched was Bullet Train. I first saw him in Anna Karenina. This is exciting!

Oh yes Bullet Train was such a fun movie.

 

[Simone411]

Well, I'll tell you what. He's almost as good looking as Sean Connery. I remember my mom buying the soundtrack album that included the Thunderball and Goldfinger theme songs.

I loved the Thunderball theme song because Tom Jones sang it, and I was 7 years old when that movie came out. I still have that album.

Thunderball | Theme Song | Tom Jones

Soundtrack/theme song from Terence Young's 1965 film 'Thunderball'. Song performed by Tom Jones and composed by John Barry.

www.youtube.com

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

You'll get to see all of him in the film of "A Million Little Pieces", directed by his wife. He can certainly bring some BDE energy to the role of Bond based on that film.

 

[caseyedwards]

It’s so crazy! Bond movies are usually every other year when there’s a Bond and when there is a gap between Bonds I always start to ask and wonder “where’s the Bond? When’s the new Bond?” Lol!! It’s engrained! Doesn’t look like a new Bond is coming out til 2026!

 

[screech]

Age-wise, he's ideal for taking on the part for at least the next decade (he's 33), but I personally don't find him all that appealing. And his relationship with his wife gives me a bit of 'ick' (they started dating when he was 18 and she was 42.)

 

[Frau Muller]

This is the new James Bond. I can't see it, but then again, I've never seen anything he has acted in. What do I know?

https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1770043719883890821

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Offered James Bond Role, Reports Say

He would be the eighth actor to take on the iconic role since the film series began in 1962.

time.com

Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Note that his wife is 24 years older than him!

Oh…I thought that they were seeking a man of color/DEI factor! Rats.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Oh…I thought that they were seeking a man of color/DEI factor! Rats.

Would have loved Rege-Jean Page

 

[vgerdes]

I wanted Idris Elba. Oh well. I think generally they wanted someone for Bond less famous than Elba or Cavill. That's the vibe I was getting.

This dude plays Pietro Maximoff in various Avengers films. I am not seeing Bond from what I saw in those performances.

That may have been his most famous role to date, but he's been in a long list of action films. Kickass (1 and 2), Bullet Train, the soon-to-be-released Fall Guy (with Ryan Gosling), and another 2024 release, Kraven the Hunter, just to name a few of the more recent ones. He went by the name Aaron Johnson in his early films, FYI. Anna Karenina (2012) was the first film where he went by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Would have loved Rege-Jean Page

Agreed. He and Cavill were my top 2. I also wouldn't have been mad if they'd cast Elba or Tom Hiddleston, but as MacMadame said, I think they are looking for someone with a little less name recognition. (Also, I think Elba may be aging out of the role slightly, at 51 years old, although he's still gorgeous and can kick ass with the best of them.)

 

[screech]

Agreed. He and Cavill were my top 2. I also wouldn't have been mad if they'd cast Elba or Tom Hiddleston, but as MacMadame said, I think they are looking for someone with a little less name recognition. (Also, I think Elba may be aging out of the role slightly, at 51 years old, although he's still gorgeous and can kick ass with the best of them.)

A couple of years ago I remember Hiddleston's name being the frontrunner, right after The Night Manager came out. But then the the Taylor Swift relationship, and his kind of cringy Golden Globes acceptance speech, and I think he got pushed down on the list. And now he's too old at 43.

I remember a few years ago people were mentioning Idris, and IIRC one of the producers said that Bond is written a certain way (white man) so they planned on keeping Bond a white man, though they'd enjoy seeing a Bond-like POC character in a separate series. So based on that, Idris, Rege-Jean, Dev Patel, Henry Golding, and other POC who'd been mentioned for the part were probably never really being considered.

 

[Jenny]

Age-wise, he's ideal for taking on the part for at least the next decade (he's 33), but I personally don't find him all that appealing. And his relationship with his wife gives me a bit of 'ick' (they started dating when he was 18 and she was 42.)

They were both adults when the relationship began, and they've now been together 15 years and have two children (in addition to her two children from a previous relationship), so even if it initially raised eyebrows, they seem to be doing very well together.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

They were both adults when the relationship began, and they've now been together 15 years and have two children (in addition to her two children from a previous relationship), so even if it initially raised eyebrows, they seem to be doing very well together.

Also no one would blink an eye if he was the older one.

 

[MacMadame]

Also no one would blink an eye if he was the older one.

I would. In fact, I'd blink two if the genders were swapped.

 

[vgerdes]

A couple of years ago I remember Hiddleston's name being the frontrunner, right after The Night Manager came out. But then the the Taylor Swift relationship, and his kind of cringy Golden Globes acceptance speech, and I think he got pushed down on the list. And now he's too old at 43.

Pierce Brosnan was 42 when he first appeared as James Bond. I think if he weren't quite as immediately identifiable as Loki now Hiddleston might still be under serious consideration. I also think Cavill might have gotten the role if he didn't have quite so many high-profile projects under his belt. He really is just about perfect for it, but they have always preferred to cast actors who, if not exactly unknown, aren't instantly identified with another iconic role (or in Cavill's case, two or three).

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

I would. In fact, I'd blink two if the genders were swapped.

"Grooming", I believe, is the term that people often throw out these days at older men in relationships with women with that age difference.

 

[Vagabond]

"Grooming", I believe, is the term that people often throw out these days at older men in relationships with women with that age difference.

As a survivor of abuse, please let me say that this is not what "grooming" is.

Grooming: an expert explains what it is and how to identify it

The term ‘grooming’ is often misused or misunderstood, but its scope reaches far beyond child abuse.

theconversation.com

Early investigations uncovered patterns of behaviour and specific techniques used by predators to gain access to and the compliance of victims. These early conclusions brought to life the concept of grooming as a non-violent technique used by sexual predators who were not strangers, but known to their victims.

Being in a consensual relationship is not in and of itself "grooming," nor is every fortyish person having sex with an eighteen-year-old a sexual predator.

Casually bandying about terms like "grooming" only makes it more difficult for people like me, who were groomed, to talk about what happened to them or to warn others about grooming.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

As a survivor of abuse, please let me say that this is not what "grooming" is.

Grooming: an expert explains what it is and how to identify it

The term ‘grooming’ is often misused or misunderstood, but its scope reaches far beyond child abuse.

theconversation.com

Being in a consensual relationship is not in and of itself "grooming," nor is every forryish person having sex with an eighteen-year-old a sexual predator.

Casually bandying about terms like "grooming" only makes it more difficult for people like me, who were groomed, to talk about what happened to them or to warn others about grooming.

I didn't say I agreed with people who do make statements like that, but it sure does happen often these days.

 

[screech]

Also no one would blink an eye if he was the older one.

Take a look at how people are reacting to Chris Evans (42) recently marrying Alba Baptista (26) and you'll see that people are definitely blinking eyes.

Pierce Brosnan was 42 when he first appeared as James Bond. I think if he weren't quite as immediately identifiable as Loki now Hiddleston might still be under serious consideration.

I think they've openly said that they want someone a bit younger, who can more realistically take the role for a longer time. But I do agree, when people see Hiddleston, they immediately think Loki.

 

[Jimena]

If it's ATJ, it's great. He is a great actor and could certainly pull this off.

 

[vgerdes]

Being in a consensual relationship is not in and of itself "grooming," nor is every fortyish person having sex with an eighteen-year-old a sexual predator.

Casually bandying about terms like "grooming" only makes it more difficult for people like me, who were groomed, to talk about what happened to them or to warn others about grooming.

I was going to post something similar, but you hit the nail on the head. People might look askance when there is a large age gap in a romantic relationship, but grooming is a very specific term for truly vile behavior, and I wish people would stop using it so loosely.

Also, what is the definition of a "large" age gap? I've known lots of people with a 10-year age difference who've had very fulfilling, loving relationships. To me it only becomes troubling when the older person in the relationship is in a position of authority/power over the younger one (or vice versa, for that matter).

From that perspective, ATJ's relationship with his wife simply doesn't qualify.

 

[MacMadame]

Also, what is the definition of a "large" age gap?

I am 7 years older than my husband and once in a while, this comes up as not sharing the same experiences growing up. For example, JFK being shot was a defining event of my childhood. He wasn't even born then. However, I don't think it's a particularly large age gap and it's not normally a big deal as we have similar tastes in movies and music.

I do think once you are getting to a decades-long gap, this can be a problem. A Boomer married to a Millennial is going to have little in common when it comes to those things. Also, being married to someone old enough to be your parent is going to impact how the public treats you -- like service people assuming your spouse is your kid. Depending on the people involved, that could be an issue.

Of course, age is just a number and there are plenty of 40-year-olds who aren't any more mature than they were in High School.

 

[screech]

I think one thing that adds to the narrative is that she was in the 'power' position when they met (directing him). Also, he's only 7 years older than his stepdaughter.