It’s the question on the lips of countless moviegoers: who will be the next James Bond? Since Daniel Craig took his final bow as 007 in 2021’s “No Time To Die,” there’s been tons of speculation on who will don the spy’s tuxedo and wield his Walther PPK. And despite some clamor for a female Bond, it’s (mostly) British actors who have had rumors swirling about their names. An old favorite pick is Idris Elba, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Mescal, James Norton, Henry Cavill, and Paapa Essiedu are just some of the other bandied thespians people want to see in the coveted 007 role.
But Variety reports that “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig has a dark horse pick, and it comes from her latest film’s set. So who does Gerwig have in mind for Bond? None other than Kingsley Ben-Adir, otherwise known as “Basketball Ken” in the film. American audiences know Ben-Adir best from stuff like “One Night In Miami…,” “Secret Invasion,” “Peaky Blinders,” and “The OA.” But after one particular moment in “Barbie,” Gerwig became convinced she had found the Bond the world is looking for.
The scene in question is at the end of “Barbie,” when Ben-Adir’s Basketball Ken addresses the crowd of Barbies and Kens below him as Barbieland returns to order. Gerwig gave the actor one piece of advice before shooting. “Ascend the throne,” she said. “Got it,” he replied. And then the magic happened. ““Everybody’s jaws dropped,” she says. “I was like, get this footage to whoever is making James Bond immediately.”
On paper, Ben-Adir checks off a lot of boxes for the next James Bond. He’s male, he’s British, he’s still relatively young at age 36; and he’s multiethnic, something certain Bond fans want in the next iteration of the character. But what does Bond producer Barbara Broccoli have to say about this? Nothing really, as she told the Guardian less than two weeks ago that “there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter, and we haven’t even begun with that.” By her estimate, “Bond 26” won’t hit theaters for another 3-4 years, and that’s plenty of time for her to select a new Bond.
It’s also plenty of time for Ben-Adir and other potential candidates to age out of the role, too. Still, it’s nice of Gerwig to advocate for her “Barbie” actor. And who knows? Maybe her advocacy will grant Ben-Adir a once-over by Broccoli & co. and he’ll get another role in the franchise. But as for who will be the next James Bond, the search continues, and it doesn’t sound like it’ll be over any time soon…
