When it comes to iconic movie roles, you would have a hard time beating James Bond. The Bond Characters have been keeping us entertained for decades, partly because they keep changing the lead role.
Now that Daniel Craig is stepping aside from his role as James Bond, it’s time to choose someone else. Many people have an option on the subject, including Tom Hanks. In fact, he thinks he has the best choice.
Of course, Tom Hanks is no stranger to the silver screen. He may not have played Bond but he is equally loved in his roles as Forrest Gump and in the movie, Castaway.
He has won two Academy Awards and is even in the process of finishing a book: The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.
Recently, Hanks was being interviewed by the BBC and they were asking some intriguing questions. Many of them revolved around his upcoming book and his wonderful film career, but they also asked him a question outside of the box.
The interviewer asked Hanks: “In your opinion, who do you believe possesses the suitable qualities to portray the next James Bond?”
Over the past 6 decades, there have been many actors who played the role. To name just a few, there were Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Tom Hanks thought for a moment and then replied: “In my opinion, James Bond possesses a license to kill. Based solely on the remarkable work I’ve witnessed from him, I would grant that license to Idris Elba.”
This was also something that Pierce Brosnan, a former Bond actor also thought would work well. He said so in a 2021 interview with People, saying, “Idris Elba immediately comes to mind. He exudes incredible presence and possesses a phenomenal voice. He would be exceptional.”
Brosnan also thought Tom Hardy would play a good Bond because he can ‘truly immerse himself in a character.’
Although it is interesting that Elba has the confidence of Hanks and Brosnan, they aren’t the people who make the big decision. Even Elba was not enthusiastic about taking on the role, saying: “It is not a career objective of mine. I don’t believe that playing Bond would fulfill certain personal aspirations.”
He then added: “If you are in agreement that I should take on the role, can you examine why and honestly answer why you believe I should take on the role? Is there a sense of nostalgia – and let’s be truthful, a sense of nostalgia – surrounding the notion? Is there an allure to the idea of me being the first Black man to embody that character?”
It will be interesting to see where this leads.