Christopher Nolan says his frequent collaborator Tom Hardy would “be amazing” as James Bond. It’s no secret that fans of Nolan have long been hoping that somehow the iconic writer-director would find a way to the helm of the 007 franchise. After all, The Dark Knight trilogy and Dunkirk filmmaker has often professed his love and desire to work in the franchise — and at the moment, the director’s chair just happens to be open for Bond 25. following the departure of Sam Mendes, who helmed Daniel Craig’s third and fourth turns as 007 in Skyfall and Spectre.
And while Nolan recently said that he would consider directing a film in the Bond franchise only if it needed “reinvention,” he curiously seems to be endorsing Hardy for the role when Craig decides to call it a day. In an interview with MTV’s Happy Sad Podcast (via The Wrap), Nolan commented on the prospects of Hardy as Bond, saying, “He’d be amazing. He really would.” Nolan also reiterated in the interview that he’s met with Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and he would “love to work with them at some point," but he’d “have to be needed.”
Nolan’s mention of Hardy as Bond comes on the eve of the release of Dunkirk, which marks the third time the director and actor have worked together. Previously Hardy starred in Nolan’s smash mind-bending heist thriller Inception, and went on to play Batman’s (Christian Bale) chief nemesis Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.
Clearly Nolan and Hardy love working together, and perhaps the filmmaker’s endorsement of the Oscar-nominated actor is the first step in his long-desired goal of directing a Bond film. It’s hardly a coincidence that Hardy said earlier this year he would like to do a Bond film with Nolan; and a report in May that linked the filmmaker’s company, Syncopy, to Bond 25 got fans thinking that there may be more than just talk about the director wanting to be involved in a Bond movie.
Assessing all the comments Hardy and Nolan have made in the past few months, it appears the chances of the director and actor teaming on a Bond film in the near future appears to be fading fast — especially since recent reports suggested that Craig has reached a deal to return for Bond 25.
If the reports pan out, it would seem unlikely that Nolan would come aboard to reinvent the edgy take on the character that Craig has well-established in his first four turns as 007. A new Bond film starring Hardy, on the flip side, would feel fresh, and give both the actor and Nolan a chance to redefine the character on their terms. Until then, the best thing Nolan and Hardy fans can do is to keep hoping for the day when their Bond dreams come to fruition.
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Source: Happy Sad Podcast (via The Wrap)
