British actor Theo James is now in serious contention to become the next James Bond and his closest competition for the Agent 007 role is Tom Hiddleston.
Hiddleston may have the advantage in acting depth but James has the solid fan base. However, just like the choice of Daniel Craig as James Bond more than 10 years ago, producer Barbara Brocolli is not after the actor’s popularity but his fitness to the role.
Theo James may have gotten an added advantage in the selection when recent reports came out that the producers will be planning to make a tamer James Bond after Daniel Craig’s rather dark and violent portrayal of the role in the last four movies including “Spectre,” shown in November last year.
The iconic James Bond role may indeed push the career of any promising actor the way it did to Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, but it may also mean several sacrifices in acting career and also in personal life.
With the exception of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, the other actors who portrayed the role of the MI6 agent on Her Majesty’s Secret Service had complained of being typecast to the character and they can hardly take on other roles because of such. It was the very same reason that Daniel Craig said when he finally decided to relinquish the role after the showing of “Spectre” last year.
Needs to compromise a lot
The same thing is expected if and when Theo James is chosen to become the next James Bond. According to critics, the 31-year-old actor might have to compromise a lot in his personal life to chase his Hollywood aspirations, reports Movie News Guide.
In fact, even before he is chosen, Theo James is now a very busy actor that he even had to postpone his supposed wedding plans with long-time Irish girlfriend, actress Ruth Kearney.
It is his hectic schedule as an actor that has been keeping him busy and away most of the time with his fiancé and has nothing to do with the rumored blossoming romance with “Divergent” movie series co-star Shailene Woodley.
According to latest reports, James and Kearney cannot finalize yet their wedding date until such time that the announcement for the next James Bond is made.
Sources close to the actor says that Theo James is confident of bagging the role which would mean a lot of things for him personally and professionally.
Nothing going on between them
In another report of Movie News Guide, Theo James also denied the rumors that something is going on between him and Shailene Woodley.
Although he did not say it directly, it seems that what the actor meant to say is that the relationship rumors between him and Shailene are only intended to hype the fourth and final movie in the “Divergent” film series entitled “Divergent: Ascendant” due to hit worldwide theaters in June 2017.
The third movie of the franchise, “Divergent: Allegiant,” did not do well at the box-office when it was shown in March this year, as much as the first two movies, “Divergent” and “Insurgent” did in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Incidentally, the long engagement of Theo James and Ruth Kearney has become the subject of many speculations especially in light of recent events in James’ career.
Because of his obvious on-cam chemistry with Shailene Woodley in their “Divergent” movie series, there have been rumors that the main reason why Theo James is holding out on marrying Ruth Kearney is because he has fallen in love with Shailene. But he immediately quashed those rumors.