“Maybe at a bar, drinking martinis without saying a word.”
So Louis Partridge told Variety last year while discussing possible ways to impress Stephen Knight at the House of Guinness premiere.
At the time, Knight, the man behind the boozy Netflix show starring a burgeoning Englishman as the heir to an Irish brewery, had just been announced as the screenwriter for the 26th James Bond film, directed by Denis Villeneuve. This represents a major reboot of the spy series after Amazon MGM Studios took creative control from Eon. Partridge, like any actor eyeing perhaps the most coveted role in cinema, was understandably eager to show off his best 007 moves.
Six months later, word has it that whatever Partridge, known for his work on Enola Holmes, Disclaimer, Netflix’s new Pride and Prejudice, and recent relationship with Olivia Rodrigo, did at the bar before Knight worked. Now, speculation has reached Variety that he is in contention for the job (and not just on the bookmakers’ list).
Of course, it’s important to note that, like almost everything about Hollywood’s most famous superspy that hasn’t been said directly from the mouths of the main creative team, this is just speculation. Attempts to confirm with Partridge’s representatives and Amazon-MGM Studios were predictably fruitless, as were other Bond villains’ highly complex plans for world domination.
However, the Partridge rumors dovetail with widespread rumors that the next 007 will be much younger than previous Bonds. The term “fresh faces” has been popularized since Deadline’s (speculative, of course) report earlier this year, and many industry insiders Variety spoke to seem convinced that times are a step down.
But just how fresh-faced are they going for it? At 23, Partridge’s face is considerably fresher than any of the other names on the ever-evolving conveyor belt of potential candidates (Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Harris Dickinson currently lead the list). As many have realized, he’s not old enough to be picky about how to mix cocktails, let alone legally drink them.
Elordi is believed to have been a keen target for Amazon for some time, and at 28 years old would have already been the youngest Bond. By contrast, Sean Connery was 32 when he took over, Daniel Craig was 38, Pierce Brosnan was 42, and Roger Moore was 45 (57 when he left). Partridge, who is six months younger than Elordi, will drop his average even more significantly.
Turner, who, as rumored, has recently become a bookmaker’s favorite, is now 36 years old, making him 13 years older. If the Bond team is considering someone as young as Partridge, would someone in their mid-to-late 30s or even 30s be off the menu? One producer told Variety magazine: “Writing a movie directed by a 23-year-old is completely different than writing a movie directed by a 36-year-old. It’s completely different.”
However, an actor of Partridge’s age would provide producers with some solid series longevity. Even if he were to appear in five or six Bond films over the next 15 years or so, he would still be under 40 by the time he turns in his Walther PPK. His star power hasn’t reached A-list level yet, so he’ll likely cost significantly less than Elordi and Taylor-Johnson.
Given that 23 is considered an approximate age among celebrities, apart from Partridge, there are relatively few British talents available (and reports earlier this year suggested that Bond would be British). Heartstopper breakouts Kit Connor, 22, and Joe Locke, 23, would be a good fit, as would Noah Jupe, 21, who is currently riding the wave thanks to his Oscar-winning role in Hamnet and the West End’s buzzy production of Romeo and Juliet. But unless they go after someone more unknown (an obvious possibility), that’s it.
Again, this is mostly an educated guess and nothing more. No movie topic is more fueled by speculation than who will step into Craig’s blood-splattered 007 brogue next (just ask Idris Elba, who has fought off rumors for what seems like a lifetime).
And who started this particular speculation? Was it someone from the Partridge team or family? In Riz Ahmed’s semi-autobiographical satirical new series for Amazon, Bait, he plays a struggling actor who tries to improve his chances of getting a Bond role after being photographed by paparazzi mid-way through a (bad) audition. Anything is possible.
To emphasize how little we really know about this, another name recently resurfaced in the conversation as someone “being considered.” This time it was 40-year-old James Norton.
