The future of James Bond is officially in motion, with Amazon MGM Studios confirming that the search for the next actor to play 007 has begun. The next film is expected to introduce a younger version of 007, and the speculation around the casting has already been doing the rounds for months now. Now, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has pitched in his vote for the role, adding that Bollywood actor John Abraham is best suited for it.
What Shekhar wrote
Shekhar took to his X account and wrote, “As the search of the next Bond heats up, my vote for the next James Bond after Daniel Craig would be John Abraham. He has the cool ‘shaken not stirred’ persona and certainly good actor with the ‘Bond Charm’. By the way Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond after the producers saw him in my film Elizabeth.”
John’s response
This shoutout did not escape the attention of John, who shared it on his X account and wrote, “Thank you so much Sir @shekharkapur Truly humbled by your words and encouragement. Coming from someone who not only redefined storytelling but also had the instinct to spot Daniel Craig before the world saw Bond in him… this means a lot to me.”
He went on to add, “As for Bond… I’ll happily start practising my martini order immediately. Shaken, not stirred.”
More details
The new Bond film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, while Steven Knight is attached as screenwriter. The project also has major production backing from Amy Pascal and David Heyman, with Tanya Lapointe serving as executive producer. Even before official casting began, speculation over the next Bond has been intense, with actors such as Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson frequently mentioned as possible contenders, according to Screen Rant.
Despite confirmation that casting has begun, there is still no official release date for the next James Bond film. The studio has indicated that more updates will be shared once the process advances further.
Daniel Craig has starred in 5 James Bond movies. The last one to release was No Time to Die (2021). Actors who have played the role in the past are Sean Connery, David Niven, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
John started out as a model and went on to win the Gladrags Manhunt in 1999. He then made his Bollywood acting debut with the 2003 erotic thriller Jism. He achieved massive mainstream stardom as the antagonist in the 2004 action-thriller Dhoom. Some of his noted films include Madras Cafe, Dostana, Pathaan and Batla House.