‘Super-hot’ and suave rising British star officially among James Bond contenders-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro

British actor Aaron Pierre has a whole host of fans already convinced he should play James Bond (Picture: Getty/Metro)

An impressive rising star who already has legions of fans thirsting after him has officially entered the race to be the next James Bond.

London-born Aaron Pierre, 30, has had a big year in 2024, playing Malcolm X in US TV show Genius before wowing fans in September with this action hero credentials in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge.

The hit movie on the streaming platform provided a breakthrough moment for the actor – and he’s now featured in a major Christmas film for Disney with Mufasa, where he voices the lead role, which is a younger version of the character first interpreted by James Earl Jones.

Rebel Ridge already had fans eagerly suggesting him as the next 007 after Daniel Craig retired from the role following 2021’s No Time to Die.

His Instagram account is also littered with comments from his followers, swooning over his ‘perfect’, ‘damn fine’ and ‘dapper’ looks.

However, his latest publicity round has been persuading even more people of his suitability, and so much so that he’s now a bookies’ contender for the role with odds that were just slashed dramatically.

Pierre, 30, fits the confirmed profile for the role as a 30-year-old male Brit (Picture: Mike Marsland/WireImage)

There’s still no official word on who will be replacing Daniel Craig as 007 following the last Bond movie in 2021 (Picture: Col Pics/Everett/Rex/Shutterstock)

He’s been cut from 20/1 to 6/1 in the last 24 hours, according to Coral, while longtime bet Aaron Taylor-Johnson remains the 6/4 favourite.

‘Aaron Pierre is proving very popular in the next James Bond betting ahead of the release of Mufasa. He has emerged as a serious contender to rival Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the next 007, according to our odds,’ Coral’s John Hill confirmed to Metro.

In November, William Hill had Pierre at 12/1 as fans’ interest in the actor – who has also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old and Foe with Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal – continued to bubble.

In a recent interview with Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio breakfast show, the DJ also threw his weight behind Pierre as Bond, declaring: ‘If I were Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael [G. Wilson], I would get all the ranch and all the horses, all the millions of acres Eon owns, and I would bet it all on you for the next Bond.’

Broccoli and Wilson are the 007 franchise runners and producers through Eon, who have the ultimate say on casting.

While Pierre modestly said that he’d ‘never thought about’ playing the UK’s most famous fictional spy, he commented: ‘If that opportunity ever presented itself, that would be insane.’

‘He needs to be the next Bond. Period,’ insisted Alice Moh in the comments on YouTube.

‘The time for a black James Bond is long overdue. I would like to see Aaron Pierre in the role of 007. The British film industry needs to make it happen… please,’ added Vicky Abramowitz.

In one of several Reddit threads discussing his potential for the role, Pierre was also getting a lot of support.

Pierre thrilled fans with his Netflix hit Rebel Ridge earlier this year (Picture: Netflix/Everett/Rex/Shutterstock)

‘I would weep with happiness,’ shared @Wonderful-Debate9232 in response to thoughts on his casting.

‘Completely agree. His intensity, acting, his eyes are almost hypnotic to look into. He has the build for it, the ‘gestalt’ for it imo [sic],’ chimed in @Bullishbear99.

‘I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of this before,’ admitted @handsomekilla. He’s perfect and a way better choice than some of the others who’ve been mentioned as contenders. Do it Eon!’

His odds to take on the role have been slashed to 6/1 from 20/1 in the last 24 hours (Picture: George Pimentel/Rex/Shutterstock)

In November, Broccoli and Wilson confirmed their vision for the future of the Bond character.

They have confirmed that James Bond will be a man, after Lashana Lynch made history in 2021’s No Time to Die as the first Black female 007, Nomi.

They are also focusing on actors in their 30s, and while most of the popular names in the running are white, the producers have said that this is not a given in what could be a historic casting move.

Nothing has yet been officially confirmed, nor has a timeline for the production and release of the next film.

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