Regé-Jean Page has said he is “flattered” to be a hot favorite for the next James Bond but said people have started speculating because he is British and did “something of note,” referring to his recent role in Bridgeton.
He rose to fame as the Duke of Hastings in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, released in December last year, but now bookmakers Coral have revealed he is the top favorite to take over from Daniel Craig as 007.
Speaking about the role, Regé-Jean Page said he thinks if “you are British and you do anything of note that other people take notice of, then people start talking about James Bond’s role.”
He said he was “flattered” to be in the “category of Brits” that have been noticed and tipped as the next James Bond, but said it was not anything “more or less than that.”
He told The Mirror: “Ah, the B-word. I think that if you are British and you do anything of note, that other people take notice of, then people will start talking about that. I think that’s fairly normal and I’m flattered to be in the category of Brits that people have noticed. Nothing more – or less – than that.”
While he did not give much away, those placing bets certainly think Regé-Jean Page would make a great James Bond when Daniel Craig steps down this year after No Time To Die — his final Bond movie — is released.
Bookmakers Coral said the odds are currently 5-2 for Regé-Jean Page, having overtaken Tom Hardy and James Norton with odds of 3-1.
He also overtakes long-term favorite Idris Elba and fellow actors Henry Cavill, Sam Heughan, and Richard Madden, who have odds of 10-1.
A spokesman for the bookmakers said: “The news that Regé-Jean Page will not be returning for the second series of Bridgerton has prompted plenty of bets from punters who believe he’ll make the perfect James Bond. We now make him favorite, ahead of Tom Hardy, for who succeeds Daniel Craig as 007.”
Talk of Regé-Jean Page as the next James Bond began earlier this year in January when he responded by posting to Twitter with a message that blended his most recent character, the Duke of Hastings, with the iconic spy and his favorite martini: “Regency, royalty, shaken and stirred.”
Regé-Jean Page confirmed he would not be returning for the second season of Bridgerton, despite much speculation from fans.
Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh.
Still just doing my thing.
Still we do the work.
We still fly.
??
— Regé-Jean Page (@regejean) April 7, 2021
For the past 24 hours, Regé-Jean Page has been trending after it was confirmed that he was rejected for a role in the series Krypton because he is Black.
Page was hoping to land the role of Superman’s grandfather in the Syfy series, but DC Films co-founder Geoff Johns said the character could not be Black, according to a report published by the Hollywood Reporter.
Amid backlash, Johns’s rep shared a statement saying that the casting process “is being twisted to be something that it is not.”
Via Twitter, Page responded to the report by saying: “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh. Still just doing my thing. Still, we do the work. We still fly.”
Fans are hoping that his next project will live up to the hype.
