If George Clooney had his way, he’d hand the keys to Bond’s Aston Martin over to a British actor he worked with in 2023.
The actor and director, 65, has expressed the belief that Callum Turner would make the ideal replacement for Daniel Craig in the 007 franchise, the next film of which is being directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.
While rumoured contenders have included Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, Clooney says Turner, 36, would be “the perfect guy to do it” as he “is tall and handsome and charming and British”.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond. I think he would be a great Bond.”
Clooney directed Turner in 2023 film The Boys in the Boat, a drama about the University of Washington rowing team and their quest to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
However, Turner, who recently married pop star Dua Lipa, has remained coy on the subject, telling the outlet: “I know as much as you do – really, I know as much as you do.”
The actor, whose credits include BBC series The Capture and Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, “laughed and looked down at his sneakers” when asked if he’d like to take on the role, adding: “I am not going to comment on that.”
Turner continued: “I will tell you what’s so funny about the Bond thing: Even your best friends ask you, people text you that you haven’t spoken to for 10 years – and you know nothing!
“It is such a weird thing of something happening and nothing happening at all. I genuinely know nothing. I just find it quite amusing.”
The next Bond film, written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, is currently in the process of finding its lead star. It will be the first Bond film since Amazon MGM acquired full creative control of the franchise in February 2025.
Daniel Craig – who starred in five films as James Bond, beginning with Casino Royale in 2006 – announced that he was stepping down from the role in 2019, with 2021’s No Time to Die being his final outing as 007. Since then, speculation has been rife over who would be reviving the role.
Idris Elba, a former contender for Bond, said earlier this week that he never viewed himself as a “legit” option due to the character always being played by white men.
“I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing,” he told GQ. “James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it.”
He added that, if he had been cast in the role, long-time fans of the franchise might not have liked the decision.
“I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
On whether a Black actor should be cast in the role, Elba doesn’t think is vital, stating: “Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke. I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
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