Callum Turner says he finds James Bond rumours “amusing” as George Clooney backs him to be 007
Callum Turner has responded to rumours that he is set to takeover as James Bond as George Clooney backs him to become 007.
Turner is currently the clear bookmakers’ favourite to step into Daniel Craig’s shoes as Bond, but has been tight-lipped on the speculation linking him to the world’s most famous spy.
While a new Bond movie is currently in the works from Amazon MGM Studios, which Dune’s Denis Villeneuve is set to direct with a script from Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, it remains unknown who will portray 007.
Many names from the film industry, including Oscar-winner Jessie Buckley, have supported the notion of Turner as Bond.
Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter for a profile on Turner, Clooney, who directed the English actor in 2023’s The Boys in the Boat, has made the case for the 36-year-old to be Bond, stating, “I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond. I think he would be a great Bond.”
Clooney then expressed his reasoning as to why Turner is ready-made for the role, adding, “He’s tall and handsome and charming and British, so he’s the perfect guy to do it.”
However, Turner himself has played down rumours linking him to Bond, even though he didn’t rule himself out of the running.
After initially saying, “I’m not going to comment on that,” he then said, “I’ll 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.”
He elaborated, “It’s such a weird thing of something happening and nothing happening at all.” Turner then insisted, “I genuinely know nothing,” and stated that he finds the situation “quite amusing”.
Turner’s latest comments are unlikely to cause the rumour mill to die down anytime soon. However, one person who certainly won’t be the next Bond is Idris Elba, who was the favourite for many years.
Earlier this week, he said the rumours were “never legit” and remarked, “I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it.”
He also said, “And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
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