Regé-Jean Page Addresses Rumors He Could Be The Next James Bond

Actor Regé-Jean Page made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday and among the topics discussed was a growing hope among some that he could be next in line to play Ian Flemming’s iconic superspy, James Bond.

Page — who was on the show to promote his Netflix series Bridgerton — was good-natured about the rumors, as documented on Fallon’s YouTube channel. However, he was also careful not to lend any credence to them.

“I think the internet thinks a lot of things and that’s one of the more pleasant ones. So, I’m pleased as far as that goes,” he said.

According to the London native, there’s “a level of cultural translation” that should occur with regards to assuming the mantle most recently held by Daniel Craig, who will have made five appearances as Bond when No Time To Die is finally released.

“If you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown that people regard well, then people start saying the B-word. You know, it’s like a merit badge — you get the B-word merit badge. But I don’t think it’s much more than that.”

Although he refrained from adding fuel to the fire on this occasion, Page previously got fans talking on social media by invoking one of Bond’s signature catchphrases in a post. On December 16, he tweeted a video of himself as the Duke of Hastings Simon Basset on Bridgerton with a caption that included the phrase “shaken, not stirred.”

While some commenters remarked that he may be too young to take on the role, Page is roughly the same age that the first cinematic Bond, the late Sean Connery, was when he helped launch the franchise in 1962 with Dr. No.

If he were to land the part, Page would become the first person of color to portray Bond. The actor, who was also a regular cast member on the ABC legal drama For the People, is of Zimbabwean descent.

As relayed previously by The Inquisitr, Craig’s final 007 film was slated to hit theaters last April, before being rescheduled multiple times in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. No Time To Die is currently on-target for release in April of this year; MGM/Universal has reportedly lost millions as a result of the multiple delays.

The 52-year-old Craig began his run as Bond with 2006’s Casino Royale.

In 2019, another rumored potential 007, Idris Elba, teamed up with Craig to poke fun at the Bond sweepstakes by posing in a selfie with him and posting it on Twitter.