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March 19, 2024 Joshua Articles, News, News & Rumors, Press

Is Aaron Taylor-Johnson going to be the next James Bond?

A new report from U.K. newspaper The Sun, claims the British actor, 33, is set to take over the role from Daniel Craig, who played the character for 15 years.

The outlet reported that insiders said Taylor-Johnson will sign the contract this week after he was formally offered the role.

PEOPLE has contacted representatives for Taylor-Johnson and the James Bond franchise for comment.

“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back,” a source reportedly told The Sun.

“Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement,” the insider added.

Rumors that Taylor-Johnson would be the next James Bond began swirling following Daniel Craig’s exit. However, the Marvel actor — who is married to director Sam Taylor-Johnson — dodged the claims during an interview with Esquire in 2023 by stating he had “to go by the beat of my own drum.”

“It’s my own path, what feels intuitive to me,” he added. “I’ve never made a decision based on other people’s perspectives, or their judgments, or their expectations of me.” Craig, 56, revealed in 2019 that No Time To Die, which was released in 2021, would be his last James Bond movie.

During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Craig confirmed that he was laying down Bond’s Walther PPK after Colbert asked, “Are you done with Bond,” to which Craig replied, “Yes.”

“It’s done,” he added.

The actor also opened up to The Sunday Times in 2019 about his journey being James Bond.

“This may be hard to believe but I love the fact I’m Bond,” he said at the time. “We’re in rare air, making Bond movies. It is one of the most intense, fulfilling things I’ve ever done, but it takes a lot of energy and I’m getting old. I’m getting creaky.”

Meanwhile, in October 2023, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli spoke about the future of the franchise following Craig’s exit.

“I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that,” she told The Guardian at the time.