For a minute there, people really thought Jessie Buckley might be stepping into James Bond’s tux. That rumor spread fast, sparked debate, and had fans wondering whether 007 was finally about to take a hard turn into a very different era.
The problem? It was not real.
The claim that Buckley had been cast as the next Bond started circulating after an April Fool’s piece from Euronews was written just convincingly enough to fool people at a glance. Once bigger outlets and social posts started amplifying it, the rumor took on a life of its own, and suddenly one of Hollywood’s longest-running casting mysteries looked like it had finally been solved. It had not.
Still, the buzz said something. Even a fake casting choice got people talking because the Bond question remains wide open, and audiences seem more than ready for a shake-up after Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 in 2021’s ‘No Time to Die’.
Jessie Buckley Rumor Was Fake, But It Took Off Fast
Buckley was never officially cast as Bond, despite how believable the story seemed for a brief stretch. And that says plenty about where the franchise sits right now. There is still no confirmed successor to Craig, even though the next film has started taking shape behind the scenes.
Denis Villeneuve, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind ‘Dune’, ‘Blade Runner 2049’, ‘Arrival’ and ‘Prisoners’, has been tapped to direct Bond 26. Steven Knight, the creator of ‘Peaky Blinders’, is writing the script. Even with those two major names now attached, MGM has still not confirmed who will play Ian Fleming’s spy next.
That vacuum has opened the floodgates for rumor after rumor. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Damson Idris have all been floated. Barry Keoghan recently distanced himself from the chatter, telling Radio Times, “(James Bond is) an iconic role and a lot of weight and pressure comes with that,” before adding that he does not think he “fits the criteria for James Bond.”
Fans Keep Throwing Out Wild New Bond Ideas
The Buckley chatter is not the only left-field suggestion making noise. Fans recently started pushing ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ actor Froushan for the role after one social media user posted, “Hear me out,” alongside an image of him holding a weapon in a Bond-style pose. The responses got intense fast.
“He is the most James Bond to have ever James Bonded in the history of James Bonds,” one person wrote. Another said, “He’s genuinely perfect as bond it’s insane but they’ll cast a bigger name.” His co-star Vincent D’Onofrio even weighed in with a simple, “I agree.”
And then there is the female Bond conversation, which refuses to go away. Filmmaker Paul Feig recently said Sydney Sweeney would be perfect for the role, saying, “There have been some cool Bond girls, but come on, let her be the super-spy, she’s great. She’s so professional, smart, savvy. I think she’d be a good spy.” Gugu Mbatha-Raw also threw some support behind the idea of a female Bond, calling it “really fun.”
That does not mean Bond is about to become Jane Bond tomorrow. It does mean the appetite for something less predictable is very real. The next ‘James Bond’ film still has no release date, and until an official casting announcement arrives, the guessing game is only going to get louder.
