James Bond producers threw a bit of a curve ball when they hired blond actor Daniel Craig to play the latest incarnation of 007, but history has shown us that the only actors really ever seriously considered for the role are white dudes who hail from the British Isles.
This has been the case for all six performers who have taken the part so far, dating back to 1962's Dr. No, but there's always the question of whether or not it could ever change in the future. Is it possible that we could one day see, perhaps, a black American dude playing James Bond? It turns out that if the decision were up to Denzel Washington that the answer would be a definitive "yes."
The actor recently took part in an AMA session on Reddit, and one of his most enthusiastic answers he gave to one of his fans' questions was in regard to whether or not he would be at all interested in being the next James Bond. Said Washington,
The next James Bond? They better hurry up! Yes I would! Who's doing James Bond now..Daniel Craig! Did they shoot another one? Everybody should tweet Denzel is James Bond! Send it to the studio! We start the Denzel is Bond campaign today!
James Washington. Denzel Bond!
In case you couldn't tell there are more than a few roadblocks that exist that could very well prevent anything like this from ever happening. In addition to the aforementioned legacy of actors playing James Bond - all of the casting based on the descriptions given in Ian Fleming original novels - it's also worth noting that Denzel Washington is now approaching 60 years old (which is surely what he means when he says "They better hurry up!"). If the next Bond film, coming out next year, turns out to be Daniel Craig's last, then that means Washington wouldn't actually get his chance to play 007 until at least 2017 - which would mean he would be about 63 years old and 20 years older than just about every actor who has played the part before him.
Denzel Washington may never actually get his chance to play James Bond, but the franchise is on a definite high right now thanks to the success of Skyfall. The currently untitled Bond 24 is still in-development, but production will likely start in the next couple of months in order to make the announced November 6, 2015 release date. Director Sam Mendes is back at the helm, and in addition to Daniel Craig we also expect to see Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris both back in their respective roles from the last movie. Penelope Cruz has been rumored to be the next Bond girl and there have been reports that 12 Years A Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor has been looked at to play the villain, but neither of those stories have been confirmed.
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