Is James Norton set to be the next James Bond? All you need to know about the 'McMafia' star
'No Time to Die' is still a couple of months away, however, that hasn't stopped fans from speculating about who would fill Daniel Craig's shoes as 007 after his fifth and final outing as the titular British secret service agent.
There have been quite a few names in the mix — Richard Madden, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill to name a few. In what comes as an interesting piece of news, 'McMafia' star James Norton has emerged as the new hot favorite to take over the role from Craig.
Such has been the stir the 'The Trial Of Christine Keeler' star has caused, that The Sun reported bookmaker Ladbrokes had suspended betting on the 'Grantchester' star being the next man to portray the fictional super-spy.
And quite honestly, the 34-year-old looks dapper and fit, with enough charm to go around to play the iconic character. And here's a bit of background info on the actor touted to be the next Bond.
The Brit actor is known for roles in the British television series 'Happy Valley', 'Grantchester', 'War & Peace' and 'McMafia'. His portrayal as ex-convict Tommy Lee Royce in 'Happy Valley' shot him to prominence and he followed it up with a list of projects that saw him play complex characters.
Norton has had a considerable amount of theater experience. He starred as Henry, an 18-year-old in 'That Face' at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2010 with his performance garnering rave reviews.
Norton has also starred in several blockbusters. In 'Rush', he plays race driver, Guy Edwards. 'Belle', 'Northmen: A Viking Saga', 'Hampstead', 'Flatliners' and 'Mr. Joe adds to his repertoire of successful films.
Should Norton be chosen as the next Bond, he will be playing an entirely different role, but with these string of successful movies under his belt, Norton may just pull off James Bond.
When the Gentleman's Journal first interviewed the actor after his name was doing the rounds as Craig's successor, his response was it was all "very flattering". According to the actor, "People love to speculate".
"Bond’s such an icon, and he means so much to so many people, so there’s an inevitable amount of speculation and guessing and betting. But that’s as much as it is — speculation. Very flattering, very humbling speculation."
At the moment, all eyes are on Norton. Only time will tell whether he suits up as the next James Bond. 'No Time to Die' releases April 2, 2020, in the United Kingdom and on 10 April 10, 2020, in the United States.