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Playing Nice star James Norton has addressed claims he’ll be the next James Bond after being confronted with a “clue” in his new BBC series.
Speculation has swirled since Daniel Craig – the longest-running actor to ever play the British spy – announced he would be retiring from the franchise.
Since then, a number of actors have been rumoured to replace him in the iconic role, including Bridget Jones star Leo Woodall, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and rumoured favourite, Aaron-Taylor Johnson.
In a red carpet interview at the Baftas on Sunday (16 February), Norton was told he was the odds-on favourite to play 007.
“Am I? Whoever’s deciding on these odds needs to get a new job,” he replied, laughing.
Discussing how he felt about the rumours, he said: “Same as I felt the last time. It’s so weird and bemusing. But yet again, it’s based on pure speculation and it makes for a good little clickbait moment in the media. Other than that, it’s just fun and bemusing.”
Interviewer Alex Zane then confronted Norton with a “clue” fans had spotted in his new show. In a scene in Playing Nice, Norton’s character Pete Riley is the only person not wearing a tuxedo at a black tie event.
Some took this as substantiating a theory that actors are not able to wear a tuxedo in any other project if contracted to play James Bond.
“If that’s not evidence to seal the deal, I don’t know what is,” he joked.
“It’s got nothing to do with the fact that the character felt uncomfortable wearing a tux and was a bit low-key, that’s clearly irrelevant. It’s clearly undeniable. What can I say? You got me. Whoever’s spotted that, 10 points, well done. I’m definitely not [confirming].”
Craig, had the longest continuous reign as the lead in the movie franchise based on the novels first released by Ian Fleming in 1953. The story was adapted for the big screen in 1962, with Sean Connery being the first to star as the protagonist in Dr No.
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He starred in five films, starting with Casino Royale in 2006. He then played the famous spy in Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and announced he would be retiring after appearing in No Time To Die in 2021.
Craig was asked, “If you were to pass the James Bond torch, who would you love to see play him?”, in an interview with Variety.
