Add Tom Hiddleston to the list of British thespians who wish to order their martinis shaken, not stirred. The 35-year-old actor has expressed interest in playing the role of James Bond in the next movie.
Sony Pictures has not announced a new James Bond film, which would be the 25th installment in the famed franchise. Daniel Craig has gone back and forth on returning for his fifth Bond movie, saying at one point he would rather "slash [his] wrists] than reprise the role one more time. He later clarified that he had just finished production on "Spectre" and it was too soon to fathom doing it again.
Much speculation has surrounded Hiddleston's "Thor" co-star Idris Elba to succeed Craig. The "Luther" star first expressed interest in 2014, but the younger Hiddleston may be a more viable option.
"I'm a huge fan of the series. We all went to see 'Spectre' when we were shooting 'Skull Island' in Hawaii. I simply love the theme tune, the tropes and the mythology. I love the whole thing," he told the Sunday Times. "If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity."
He then added, "And I'm very aware of the physicality of the job. I would not take it lightly."
Other big stars interested in playing the most coveted role for a British actor include Damien Lewis, Tom Hardy and Hugh Jackman, whose Australian accent would still make him a strong contender.
Hiddleston is keeping busy until he gets the call from M to suit up. He next stars in the Hank Williams biopic, "I Saw the Light," in theaters on March 25. He follows that up in the action sci-fi movie "High Rise," premiering on April 28.
He also returns to television for the first time in the BBC/AMC series, "The Night Manager," co-starring Hugh Laurie. Hiddleston will play the titular night manager of a European hotel who is recruited by intelligence agents to infiltrate an international arms dealer's network.
In 2017, Hiddleston will star in "Kong: Skull Island," the film which will reboot the "King Kong" franchise as part of Legendary Pictures' Godzilla-Kong cinematic universe. He also will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to reprise his role as Loki in "Thor: Ragnarok."
