It’s been revealed to us that MGM Studios is looking at Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey to be the next actor to play James Bond.
There are a number of actors who are being tied to the Bond role, and there seems to be a new contender in the mix.
Bridgerton Season 2 has been performing incredibly well on Netflix, and Bailey has been getting many people’s hearts racing with his performance as Anthony Bridgerton in the show.
The series has already been watched for over 193 million hours after just one weekend on the streaming platform.
Bailey was also in the first season, but people’s attention seemed to be mostly glued to his co-star, Regé-Jean Page.
Page isn’t in Season 2 of the Netflix show, and his name has also been attached to the Bond role.
Other actors that people seem to like for the role include the likes of Richard Madden, Sam Heughan, Henry Cavill (who was almost cast before Daniel Craig got the role) and Tom Hardy.
We’re now being told by an insider that the Bond producers have been taking “a close look” at Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey for the role.
The source added that the producers have been, “impressed by his acting ability, both on the stage and on the screen.”
They added that they feel he has, “all the necessary skills to bring Bond to life for a new generation of viewers.”
Could Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey be the perfect choice to play James Bond?
Credit: Netflix
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The 33-year-old British actor is the right age for the role, and he has already shown talent on the small screen.
Before bagging himself a role in the Shondaland-produced Netflix series, Bailey was mostly known for his work on the stage.
He was a West End regular and started his career as a child actor in Royal Shakespeare Company productions of A Christmas Carol and King John.
Bailey then went on to star in David Hare’s play South Downs for which he was nominated at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards as Outstanding Newcomer in 2012.
He was also in the West End revival of Company, for which he won the 2019 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
The actor then had stints on ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch, BBC Two’s W1A, and Channel 4 miniseries Crashing.
Bailey would be the first openly gay actor to play Bond
Credit: Netflix
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Should he be cast in the role, Bailey would be the first openly gay actor to ever portray James Bond on the big screen.
During an interview he did in 2020, Bailey spoke about his experiences coming out in public to his King Lear co-star Ian McKellen.
Bailey said: “I was coming to terms with my own sexuality, I hadn’t necessarily hidden it, but I’ve never been not honest about it. It’s just there had never been a need to talk about it. There’s a sense of shame, I think, that’s palpable throughout gay men within the industry.”
The James Bond franchise is now owned by Amazon Studios after they acquired MGM Studios.
What do you make of this news?
Do you think that Jonathan Bailey would be a good choice for the role of James Bond?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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