Since Daniel Craig started grumbling about playing the super spy, bets have been placed on who will be the next actor to suit up and shag ridiculously-named women for Queen and country. Recent favourites include Luther’s Idris Elba and Homeland’s Damian Lewis. However the instant BBC 1 started to air The Night Manager starring Tom Hiddleston as, yes you guessed it, a super spy, there was another name in the ring. So will Hiddleston switch from horny, mischievous demi-god to horny mischievous sex-god? Let’s examine the reasons why he should…
6. Pedigree
According to James Bond’s backstory before MI6 came calling, Bond attended Eton before being kicked out for shenanigans with a maid. Tom Hiddleston is also an old Etonian, although no maid shenanigans have been reported, he was there at the same time as Prince William. So suck on that, Daniel Craig.
5. Dedication
There’s no denying it, if you want to play James Bond you’re going to have to put the effort in. Thanks to the whinings of Mr. Craig we are no longer of the impression that it’s all swanning about in glamourous locations whilst scantily clad females fling themselves at you left right and centre (no really, it’s not); it’s actually bloody hard work. Luckily our Tom is more than capable of going the extra mile for a role – he learned martial arts to play Loki and lived and sang alongside country singer Rodney Crowell to prepare for his role as Hank Williams in I Saw the Light.
4. Sneakiness
Although there are probably sneakier spies in the world than James Bond (introducing yourself by your real name everywhere you go and having every bad guy you meet already know your favourite drink makes you a bit shit as far as I am concerned), as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager, Hiddleston has shown that he can do a good line in stealth, subterfuge and other spy words beginning with ‘s’.
3. Swoon-Factor
Fleming’s James Bond isn’t actually meant to be devastatingly attractive (making Roger Moore’s casting seem all the more plausible – sorry Roger) but history (and the need to make money at the box office) dictates that Bond needs to be easy on the eyes. If only to make it believable that so many women drop their guard (and their underwear) within seconds of meeting him. Who can forget the furore caused when Daniel Craig first emerged from the waves in Casino Royale (I’ve had years of therapy and I still can’t). Luckily, thanks to his recent devotion to whipping his clothes of in the name of his art, we can attest to Mr Hiddleston’s uhm… credentials in this regard. Rest assured, if Hiddleston does become the next Bond, the Hiddlestoners alone will ensure box office success.
2. Delivery
You can’t be Bond without the ability to deliver cracking, and somewhat cheesy, one-liners with both comic timing and a sly tongue-in-cheek nod to the audience. Luckily Hiddleston is a veteran of films scripted by Joss Whedon and is therefore well practiced in both of these aspects.
1. Acting the Part
If the recent Bond films have done one thing well (apart from the extended scene of Bond getting his nadgers whacked by Hannibal Lecter with a brick in a sock) it’s to give the character some much needed depth. Nowadays if you want to play Bond it’s not enough to look pretty (although it helps – see above) and be able to undo a bra single-handedly whilst pouring a drink. Now you have to be able to act as well. Thankfully RADA educated Tom has acting talent to spare, he’s done theatre, films, TV and has received countless awards for his abilities. Whatever your opinion on the next Bond there’s no denying that if Hiddleston were to be cast, he would have no problem bringing some much needed emotional depth (to go with the ass-kicking).
Although never seriously considered until recently, Hiddleston does seem to be getting a lot of Bond-based chatter on the net and in the press. What do you think? Is this quintessential British gentleman a step in the right direction for the Bond franchise? Or should we be continuing with the more gritty ‘blunt instrument’ Bond of Casino Royale and plump for the popular Idris Elba? Let us know in the comments section below or send us a Tweet!