Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Well, we’re at that point again. Bond movies never move quickly until suddenly they do and with Denis Villeneuve confirmed as the first director of the Bond era, we’ve also got the first plausible shortlist for Bond in a while. This particular version of 007 is apparently going to be under 30 and three names are currently on the top of the Wishlist. Alasdair Stuart takes a look at them.

Tom Holland needs no introduction in these circles. The modern Spider-Man brings ridiculous charm and legit physical prowess to his work but also has the dramatic chops to back it up. His work in Uncharted was Bondian in scope and charm and his more serious work in period thriller The Devil All The Time and his breakthrough in underrated How I Live Now makes it clear he’s got the serious chops when needed. Perhaps the only downside is he still presents as very young. Plus MCU fans will no doubt be concerned that his tenure as Spider-Man is going to be cut short in service of King and Country but that’s just how things go sometimes.

Harris Dickinson has indie cred for days thanks to his work on the recent, acclaimed Babygirl and his directorial debut, Urchin. He’s excellent as a complex, often unlikable character in underrated miniseries Trust, and is fantastic alongside Emma Corrin in underrated miniseries A Murder at the End of the World. He’s also great in the very dark, physically demanding wrestling dynasty drama The Iron Claw.

Sometimes you just instinctively don’t like a performer. It isn’t anything to do with their work, or themselves, it’s just something that rubs you the wrong way. A lot of the time what causes that is over exposure and, for me, Jacob Elordi is one of those performers. He’s incredibly talented, clearly, but his omnipresence in a lot of movie discussion over the last couple of years has burnt me on him a bit. That being said, he’s got incredible presence and lands a complex, very unpleasant and oddly pitiable role in Saltburn and I hear very good things about his work in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein.

So those are the three at the top of the list but there are a few other names that surely deserve consideration. Richard Madden held together the risible Citadel as a Bond-like spy and has the emotional depth to be a Daniel Craig-esque version.

Patrick Gibson, beloved in these parts for his roles in The OA and Shadow and Bone seems to be the model for Bond in the upcoming video game First Light. He’s a great, emotionally intelligent actor and has the exact charm and dark edge that they’re apparently looking for.

Finally, Damson Idris, who is superb in F1, has the presence, authority and physical prowess to absolutely nail the role. I’d love to see him take it, although I suspect his work on the upcoming adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone may take him out of practical contention.

So, those our are Bonds. Maybe. Things certainly seem to be moving fast now so perhaps we’ll get a definitive answer on the new 007 very soon.