Agreed. Bond needs screen presence. It’s what separates him from the ‘common man’. Just like how women turn their heads as he walks into a room, there’s a certain edge that people pick up upon.
7 Likes
Like it or not, there are physical restrictions/limitations that have to be taken into account when casting for James Bond.
I think a James Bond actor needs to be at or between 5’10" and 6’3". Any shorter, and he’s going to start seeming small/short for taller actresses or really lacking in size for big actors and/or it will take too many camera tricks to size him up. I like Jack O’Connell from what I’ve seen him in, but while his commanding tough guy might work on Rogue Heroes, he’s not playing James Bond, which is a whole other kettle of fish, so to speak. As secretagentfan said, “Bond should be of a certain size.”
And any actor taller than 6’3" is going to be too big and towering over people, which is why I think the 6’5" Jacob Elordi won’t work as 007. At that point, you’re going to have to find super large actors as henchmen just to make it look like an even fight to give Bond a sense of danger.
And likewise, Bond can’t be played by a muscle-bound actor. Daniel Craig’s beefing up to do Casino Royale is about the limit one should go to be a ripped 007. Similarly, an actor can’t be a string bean without much/any muscle either nor have a paunch to his stomach.
So, in short, (in my opinion), Bond needs to be played by an actor who’s good looking, has a strong screen presence, can act, can do witty asides, looks like he can handle himself in a fist fight and is good with fight scenes, is relatively physically fit, stands between 5’10" and 6’3", is between 30 and 45 years old to start his film run, and is someone that is either British, Irish, Australian, Kiwi, or South African. Simple. 
4 Likes
Yeah, being 6’5 is hard to ignore. It would literally make him stand out against the others. On first glance I actually think Elordi has the general look a Bond requires though. It’s a cocky, roguish type aura that some options don’t have. It would be kind of fitting if another Australian got the part following another popular Connery type.
4 Likes
I agree, looks-wise, Jacob Elordi fits the bill. But he’s just too tall.
4 Likes
And: Elordi does not need Bond. He has established himself already and will have a great career.
It would be extremely helpful if the next actor needs and wants to be Bond instead of using it to get away from it.
3 Likes
At the moment I would like to see Callum Turner get a shot at it.
3 Likes
O Connell has that in spades far more than Madden or Cavill
3 Likes
I wholeheartedly agree with you, @Stbernard.
3 Likes
Especially with Cavill I’m not sure he would have had a good ride as Bond. Look at it like this: the bigger the role is the bigger has to be an actor’s screen persona to carry this and not be entirely blotted out by the spectacle. Craig would have struggled putting his stamp on Bond 15 years earlier.
Cavill is one of these actors who perhaps work best in an ensemble. That need not be bad for Bond, to the contrary. But I’m not getting any ‘Henry Cavill IS James Bond’ vibes from him. Campbell supposedly thought otherwise - but is there really any part in CASINO ROYALE that would work with the significantly younger Cavill? Can’t say that I see it. Maybe with today’s Cavill, but even that is a big stretch for me.
4 Likes
He has never had a part in which I got the feeling that he is versatile and truly charismatic.
So, no, let’s have someone else. I just hope Mrs. Bozo does not want to meet him.
3 Likes
So we´re back looking for a Connery/Lazenby clone? I´m good with that 
3 Likes
I still feel that Jacob Elordi is the strongest candidate for Bond right now. He has the look, the talent, the screen presence, the magnetism. All the qualities the role quietly demands.
There’s also the growing buzz around his performance in Wuthering Heights. I’d originally planned to hold off saying anything until after the film’s release, but the conversation has already started moving, and this is where we are. I’m sure in the weeks to come we’ll be seeing Elordi’s name a lot more.
As an actor, I think he’s in the perfect position to take on a blockbuster franchise. He has critical recognition and is a genuine hot commodity. This is typically the moment an actor steps into a defining iconic role. This isn’t a detour from serious work, it’s often the platform that secures the freedom to keep pursuing it. Right actor, right time. Having a blockbuster success under his belt will open doors and allow him to continue pursuing challenging roles. Right now, the Bond franchise needs a lead and Elordi fits the bill.
Batman may be mentioned in the same breath, but the version currently in development appears to be casting older, with a Bruce Wayne already well into his career and an emphasis on his teenage son. Bond, on the other hand, fits the moment Elordi is actually in. They’ve already stated their intention for a younger Bond, and at 29, Elordi is the perfect age.
The height question is clearly the sticking point for some people. I understand it, Elordi would be the tallest Bond by a significant margin. But I find it difficult to dismiss an otherwise ideal candidate over a few extra inches.
What keeps bringing me back is the balance he represents. Elordi feels like that rare intersection of look and talent, established and recognisable but not overexposed, has delivered strong performances and yet not trapped by any single role. The kind of actor you can build an entire era around. And that, ultimately, is what Bond needs next.
5 Likes
The height question was a “sticking point” for an untold number of people when Craig was cast, just in the other direction. In short, it’s not a big deal. Prior to Craig, the general consensus was that Bond should be no shorter than six foot. Craig comes along, blew everyone away in Casino Royale, and now, all of a sudden, that previous “requirement” is now magically more relaxed. Same for being a blonde Bond. Bond was not allowed to be blonde until Craig knocked it out of the park, now it’s perfectly fine and quite literally nobody cares anymore.
If Elordi gets the job and knocks it out of the park, then it’ll all of a sudden become OK for Bond to be however tall Elordi is.
8 Likes
The height issue is on my mind but the other components you list do draw me in. If the story that new Bond needs to look like “he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice” is legitimate then Elordi fits that bill.
It goes back to what I posted late last month:
4 Likes
the only picture I found where he looks like " he could kill you with his bare hands " was in make up for Frankenstein, otherwise he looks like the barista who makes my cappuccino, except for the height
3 Likes
I can’t verify whether any of this is true or if they’re just inventing stuff. But regardless, here is some new “news” on casting (hypothetically)…
2 Likes
Well, the part about established actors being too far along in their careers is not really new; we’ve had this discussion back in the day and most seasoned observers would look for someone in that sweet spot between total newcomer and established household name.
Emphasis on the physique is also not new. I’d say dialling back on the fighting skills after Craig would be very unlikely, even if a candidate checked all other boxes twice. So overall there’s no real substance that we wouldn’t expect anyway. Entirely possible this is 100 percent accurate - and could still be totally made up at the same time. 
3 Likes
Precisely! Until one of the major daily entertainment news sources breaks with a news story, I put them all down as merely rumor, or not even quite that as was the case with this “news” item.
3 Likes
Seems credible.
What I like: a fresh face, no preconceptions.
What I hate: Bond loses the charm, instead we will get a lot of tough bro macho shit glamourising brutality, despite showing the clichéd „cost of violence“ (meaning brooding stares and downing wodka-martinis).
Yes, I know, the young audience has to be brought in and they love that bro charade.
But Bond was not about a killing machine but someone using his wit to achieve his goals, hating the violence that he had to employ now and then.
5 Likes
As we know as long-time Bond fans the range for “he has to be able to kill you” goes from Sir Roger to Craig, so I´d say it´s mostly the directors choice what he wants to do with his new Bond…
4 Likes