MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Who is Rege-Jean Page? Meet Bridgerton's sexy duke who is the top choice to play James Bond

The odds of Rege-Jean Page playing James Bond considerably got better than ever after Bridgerton aired as the audience can’t have enough of the oozing charm of the Duke of Hastings

Could the ‘Bridgerton’ famed British actor Rege-Jean Page replace Daniel Craig in the next James Bond movie? The Duke of Hastings himself has surely fueled the speculations of his fans with a tweet referring to James Bond where he gave this caption, “Regency, royalty. Shaken, stirred”, just like 007 likes his martini to be?

Who is Rege-Jean Page?

Rege-Jean Page is a British-Zimbabwean actor who got his first acting break opposite of Jonathan Pryce in plays including ‘The History Boys’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The 31-year-old got his first big break with BBC Three drama series ‘Waterloo Road in 2015 and later made his American debut in the History Channel big-budget miniseries Roots with a critically acclaimed acting role of Chicken Georg; the film was a remake of the 1977 miniseries with the same title, built around Alex Haley's 1976 novel, ‘Roots: The Saga of an American Family’. 

Before starring in Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’, Page was a part of the cast in the Shonda Rhimes-produced legal drama series ‘For the People’ which was canceled after two seasons and featured in a supporting role with Tessa Thompson in the 2020 drama film ‘Sylvie's Love’. Prior to that, Page also starred in the 2018 post-apocalyptic film ‘Mortal Engines’. 

Will Page be the next James Bond?

The odds of Rege-Jean Page playing James Bond considerably got better than ever after Bridgerton aired as the audience can’t have enough of the oozing charm of the Duke of Hastings. According to British betting firm Ladbrokes, the odds of Page playing Bond is now just 5/1 in the betting with Ladbrokes which previously was 40/1 before December 25.

A Ladbrokes representative Alex Apati said, “Tom Hardy still leads the way as favorite, with James Norton close behind in second place. But it really is all to play for in the race for 007 and RJP has a great chance if the odds are anything to go by,” Variety reported. 

But Apati added that the shift in the betting generally occurs after a show gets sky-rocketing popularity. He added, “It’s the reason Cillian Murphy was once favorite during the peak of ‘Peaky Blinders.'” The report also added that quite similar situation occurred with Richard Madden who was favored for Bond after ‘Bodyguard’ released and Paul Mescal topped the popularity list after ‘Normal People.’

Apati further explained, “All of those aforementioned names have seen their odds slashed immediately after a huge hype around the show they most recently starred in, hence why it’s no surprise to see a similar pattern with Regé-Jean Page,” and noted,  “However, what strengthens RJP’s chances somewhat more is that an announcement feels seemingly imminent [around] Daniel Craig’s replacement, so the timing of ‘Bridgerton”s success may well have worked in his favor.”

According to the publication, the odds of the next Bond playing by various actors are mentioned below.
Tom Hardy – 6/4
James Norton – 7/4
Idris Elba – 7/2
Regé-Jean Page – 5/1
Sam Heughan – 6/1
Richard Madden – 6/1
Jack Lowden – 8/1
Cillian Murphy – 10/1

What are fans saying?

Bridgerton enthusiasts are absolutely thrilled with the idea of Page playing Bond next. Viewers have taken to social media to demand Page as the next 007. A user said, “I know I may be a bit late to the table on this one but defo think @regejean. would make an excellent @007” Another said “@regejean Bridgerton...Simon...the Duke of Hastings...the next James Bond?  YES!!!!!” A Page fan said, “@regejean for the new James Bond please”

Here are a couple more shots of Page which are giving us major 007 vibes.