With next year’s No Time to Die widely reported to be Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond, speculation about who will next step into the famed MI6 agent’s very big shoes is heating up. And we can count one more performer who’d potentially be down for the role – Harry Styles.
Styles was asked if he’d be willing to take on the part during an interview with the UK’s Hits Radio. “Yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t?” he replied. "I grew up watching those. You know, I loved him when I was a kid. So I think it’s kind of everyone’s dream a little bit, right?”
No Time to Die is scheduled to be released next April. The movie will mark Craig’s fifth appearance as Bond, which means that he’s played the role in more films than any actor not named Sean Connery or Roger Moore, who are both tied for first place with seven movies under their belts. While Craig hasn’t officially confirmed whether or not he has a future in the iconic role, he did give a tearful speech to members of No Time to Die’s production in Italy that certainly sounded like he was saying goodbye to something.
The names of many possible Bonds have been tossed out, including Tom Hardy, Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy, and James Norton. Idris Elba, long a popular potential 007, has confirmed that he will not be appearing in the role.
Though Styles feels a little young for a potential Bond, he may not actually be that far off. Sean Connery was 32 when Dr. No was released, while George Lazenby was, at 30, the youngest 007 ever. A new Bond film drops on average every three to four years, so by the time the 26th Bond picture is released, Styles will be just around 30 years old.
Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York.
