New rumors have surfaced about who will next play 007 inJames Bond 26, and if this casting pans out, it would mean a unique first for the franchise.Bond 26is being directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Steven Knight, but, of course, the industry is obsessed with the undecided lead star.
The original Bond in the Eon film franchise was Sean Connery. However,Sean Connery’s seven James Bond moviesmake up just a small portion of the 25-film franchise.Others who have stepped into the role include George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and - most recently - Daniel Craig.
Craig’s debut in the franchise was in 2006’sCasino Royale, andhis tenure in the role continued until the death of his version of the character in 2021’sNo Time to Die. No further installment has been mounted since then. In the intervening years, longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have ceded creative control to Amazon MGM Studios.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,a source close to the production reported that relatively unknown, 37-year-old redheaded actor Scott Rose-Marsh has screen-testedfor the coveted role. And, if Rose-Marsh is cast, he would be the first ginger James Bond. While this is an incidental detail,THRwraps up the article with the comment:
[…] remember how Daniel Craig’s blond locks nearly set off an international incident when his casting was announced in 2005?
What This Means For James Bond
AsTHRpoints out,new James Bond casting announcements tend to cause a stir. Should Rose-Marsh board theJames Bondfranchise, this could potentially be the case for him as well. While Craig grew to be a widely beloved Bond, there was widespread doubt ahead of his debut, especially because he looked different from the previous Bond actors.
Until Craig’s casting, the most notable standout among the Bonds was the fact that George Lazenby was Australian, as opposed to British or Irish.
Another potential source of dissent around Rose-Marsh’s casting is that he is a largely unknown actor. Generally,the stars that have been speculated to be auditioning for the role have been better-known, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Holland, Richard Madden, and Idris Elba.
However,it is much more likely that a relative unknown will take on the role, as this has generally been the franchise’s approach to their lead role. In fact, Craig himself had only just had his breakout role in 2004’sLayer Cakewhen he was originally cast as James Bond.
Our Take On The James Bond Update
While Scott Rose-Marsh is unknown to the point that there are no photos of him on his IMDb page,he does have his fair share of previous roles under his belt.
Most notably, he starred opposite Stephen Moyer (True Blood, theAfterfranchise) in the 2021 crime movieCode of Silence, thoughhe has also appeared in eight of the 12 episodes of the Welsh dramaYr Amgueddfaand played a small role opposite Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) in the 2022 thrillerWolves of War.
He has already shown his ability to perform in a range of genres, which is a necessary skill for starring in aJames Bondmovie, because the character tends to exist in the space between action, drama, and comedy.
