Taron Egerton Says He Will Not Play James Bond

Actor Taron Egerton has taken himself out of the running as the next actor to play James Bond. Speaking to Total Film, Egerton said he believes the producers have already found someone, though if they have, no announcements have been made so far. But what is known is that Egerton will not play the character in the inevitable next James Bond film.

"It's not me," Egerton said. He went on to say that he was "never part of the conversations," adding that he never met with the series producers, the Broccolis. He's a fan of the series, though, and plans to watch the future James Bond films with whoever takes the role next after Daniel Craig ended his run with No Time To Die.

"They've never enquired about me. I've just never been one of the guys that they're looking at. I just don't think I'm the right person for that. I think there's much, much, much better candidates for that role than me. But, you know, I'd be a very willing audience member. They're brilliant films."

Egerton is known for his roles in the Kingsman series and for portraying Elton John in the film Rocketman. One of Egerton's next roles is the video game entrepreneur Henk Rogers in the movie Tetris.

Egerton is just the latest actor to take himself out of the running for the role of James Bond. Before this, Idris Elba said he would not play the character. "I'm not going to be that guy," Elba said.

Producer Barbara Broccoli said the next James Bond movie will be a "reinvention" of the character, and it could take some time to find the right person. "It's about a reinvention, and, 'Where are we taking it? What do we want to do with the character?'" she said. "And then, once we figure that out, who's the right person for that particular reinvention?"

Whoever gets the role will need to sign on for numerous films over a decade, Broccoli said.

"The thing is, it's going to be a couple of years off," she said. "And when we cast Bond, it's a 10-, 12-year commitment. So he's probably thinking, 'Do I really want that thing?' Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it]."