Danny Boyle tips Jack O’Connell to play James Bond

Danny Boyle believes Jack O’Connell is the perfect candidate to play James Bond.

Danny Boyle has backed Jack O’Connell to become the next James Bond.

A long list of actors have been linked with the coveted role over recent years, including Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, and Paul Mescal – but Danny believes that Jack is the perfect candidate to replace Daniel Craig as Bond.

Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, Danny explained: “They should cast Jack O’Connell as Bond.”

Danny, 69, was originally hired to helm No Time to Die, the 2021 Bond movie. However, he left the role amid creative differences with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

Reflecting on his links to the Bond franchise, Danny explained: “When they asked me to do Bond, we came up with the story [with John Hodge] and they lost confidence in it. It’s a shame, because it could have been really good.”

Danny is convinced that Denis Villeneuve, the director of the new Bond movie, will do great things with the legendary franchise.

The acclaimed filmmaker said: “Villeneuve is amazing.

“Did you see that beginning of [Dune: Part Three], which they showed before The Odyssey? God, if I was directing The Odyssey, I would have thought everybody would be disappointed in my film following it. But obviously, Chris Nolan has more confidence than I have.”

Meanwhile, Taron Egerton previously rubbished suggestions that he could play Bond, insisting that he’s too “messy” for the role.

The 36-year-old actor has been tipped to replace Daniel Craig as 007 – but Taron believes there are “so many cool, younger actors” who would be better suited to the role.

Asked about the possibility of playing Bond, he told Collider: “I don’t think I’m a good choice for it. I think I’m too messy for that.

“I think I’m not— I really love James Bond and particularly Daniel Craig’s tenure. But I think I wouldn’t be good at it, and I think there’s so many cool, younger actors who would be great for it. I think it would be wasted on me, probably.”

Taron observed that leading the Bond franchise is “quite an undertaking”. And he suggested that the scale of the project might not suit him, either.

The actor – who previously portrayed Sir Elton John in 2019’s Rocketman – explained: “That’s not to say that I don’t have aspirations and plans and also that I wouldn’t be interested in doing something that’s more commercial, because of course I would. I think I’m a period in my life where, as you say, I’ve been probably following the things that speak to me on a creative level a little bit more, but, you know, I’m sure I won’t feel that way forever.

“But James Bond is quite an undertaking and I think, one, as far as I’m aware, nobody’s asking me to do it.”