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Next James Bond Is An Actor You’d Least Expect, Says Sam Mendes

By Caroline Diana
Published on: 03:03 PST, Jul 2, 2016

The fate of the next James Bond lies in the hands of one woman: American film producer Barbara Broccoli. From prior recruitment of James Bond characters, it is evident that the spy who likes it “shaken not stirred” was always someone you never expected.

This throws many contenders off the list, including British actors Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston, Theo James, Man of Steel fame Henry Cavill, and even Mad Men heart throb Jon Hamm. No doubt these men are highly talented and immensely popular, but Barbara Broccoli who gets to choose the new James Bond doesn’t seem to want someone who already has captured a million hearts.

This makes sense because the new James Bond has to be someone who has to be solely remembered for his Bond character rather than for his previous equally spectacular projects. This actor must have an impressive portfolio, yet at the same time be low-key.

According to director Sam Mendes, who confirmed he is leaving the franchise after working on Skyfall and Spectre, told The Telegraph that the choice of the next Bond is “not a democracy,” warning the winning actor will be a wildcard no-one could have predicted.

At the recent Hay Festival, sponsored by The Telegraph, he said the decision to choose the next James Bond lay solely in the hands of Barbara Broccoli, who backed Daniel Craig when everyone else considered him “miscast.”

“There’s this constant debate about who’s going to be the next Bond. The truth is – and here’s the headline: it’s not a democracy. It’s not the X Factor, it’s not the EU referendum, it’s not a public vote. Barbara Broccoli chooses who’s going to be the next James Bond: end of story,” he said.

“Without that, there would be no Daniel Craig because public support for Daniel was zero. It was her saying that man over there is going to change the whole thing, I’m going to cast him,” Mendes added.

He added who the final choice will be, saying, “I can guarantee whatever happens with it, it will not be what you expect. That’s what she’s been brilliant at, and that’s how it’ll survive.”

“It’s not a public vote, and I think we’re in an age where everything is deemed voteable on. Some things just aren’t and it’s better that way, ” he said, according to a report by The Telegraph.

Just like its character, playing the perfect James Bond is quite taxing, which is why Daniel Craig had to turn down many offers.

Bond Girl Caterina Murino, who worked with Craig in Casino Royale, revealed in an exclusive interview to Sunday People, “It’s hugely stressful being Bond. There’s a lot of money involved, so that also brought more tension— and a lot of that tension was on Daniel Craig.”

Check out the lesser known hilarious Bond Girls on SNL

According to The Telegraph, Broccoli first spotted Daniel Craig in the BBC series Our Friends in the North. “He was an extremely well-respected and highly-regarded actor, who had until then managed to retain his anonymity, and he knew that anyone taking on this role is going to have to give up a lot of their privacy. Daniel’s highly intelligent, very intuitive and has great insight into dramatic structure. He’s given the character a whole new dimension,” explained Broccoli, who started worked on the franchise since she was 17.

While speculations are rife on social media sites about the next James Bond, going by how Daniel Craig was recruited for the much-coveted role, it could in all probability be someone from a TV series— or most likely a period drama such as The Tudors or Downton Abbey.

[Photo by Francois Mori/AP Images]

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