The Duke of Hastings depicter first fueled the speculation that he was in the running for the role of the secret agent with his social media post, in which he made a reference to Bond’s martini preference.
- Jan 7, 2021
AceShowbiz – Rege-Jean Page has entered the ring of competition to be the new James Bond. The British-Zimbabwean actor’s name has been thrown in the list of possible actors to replace Daniel Craig as the 007 agent in future installment(s) of the spy film franchises following the success of his Netflix series “Bridgerton“.
The Duke of Hastings of the period drama has increased his odds of taking on the role of the super spy, according to British betting firm Ladbrokes. As reported by Variety, Page is now just 5/1 in the betting with Ladbrokes to replace Craig as Bond, having previously been 40/1 before Christmas.
“Tom Hardy still leads the way as favorite, with James Norton close behind in second place,” Ladbrokes representative Alex Apati tells the site. “But it really is all to play for in the race for 007 and RJP has a great chance if the odds are anything to go by.”
Noting that this kind of shift in the odds isn’t uncommon in the wake of a successful show, Apati cites a previous example, “It’s the reason Cillian Murphy was once favorite during the peak of ‘Peaky Blinders‘.” He goes on explaining, “All of those aforementioned names have seen their odds slashed immediately after a huge hype around the show they most recently starred in, hence why it’s no surprise to see a similar pattern with Rege-Jean Page.”
He adds, “However, what strengthens RJP’s chances somewhat more is that an announcement feels seemingly imminent [around] Daniel Craig’s replacement, so the timing of ‘Bridgerton’ success may well have worked in his favor.”
The actor himself stirred the speculation last month with his social media post. On December 19, Page shared promo clip of his hit drama “Bridgerton” featuring him in character, who is described as “equal parts desirable and scandalous.” He captioned it with, “Regency, royalty. Shaken and stirred,” which was a reference to how Bond likes his martini mixed.
A number of fans supported him as the next Bond, with one tweeting, “Watching Bridgerton and thinking that @regejean would make a brilliant new James Bond.” Another weighed in, “If @regejean is the new James Bond… I’ll actually watch a James Bond.”
When someone pointed out that Page may be a little young for the part, another fan insisted, “He’s 31, Craig was 38 on first Bond but I still think he’s perfect for the role. Great age for reboot.”
Prior to starring on “Bridgerton”, Page has already been known for his role as Chicken George on 2016’s miniseries “Roots“. He also starred as a regular cast member on ABC’s legal drama “For the People” from 2018 to 2019.
Source: Movies - aceshowbiz.com
