George Clooney has officially placed his bet in the race for the next James Bond.
“I hope Callum [Turner] ends up being the next Bond. I think he would be a great Bond,” the “Batman & Robin” actor told The Hollywood Reporter for a profile of Turner that published June 10. “He’s tall and handsome and charming and British, so he’s the perfect guy to do it.”
Turner, 36, starred in the Clooney-directed “The Boys in the Boat” in 2023 and has experience with massive franchises, having acted in the “Fantastic Beasts” films from the “Harry Potter” universe and 2016’s “Assassin’s Creed.” He’s come to the fore as one of Hollywood’s leading men through roles in “Masters of the Air,” 2017’s “The Only Living Boy in New York” and the recent rom-com “Eternity.”
“He hasn’t just gone for the easy paychecks – he’s done really interesting work,” Clooney said. “Somehow Callum has weaved his way through all of the noise and found a place where people look at him and go, ‘There’s something with this young man.'”
George Clooney said he’s backing “The Boys In The Boat” star Callum Turner as the next James Bond.
Turner, smartly, is playing coy about his chances of becoming the next 007.
“I know as much as you do — really, I know as much as you do,” he said, adding that he was “not going to comment on” whether he would accept the role, if offered.
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Amazon MGM Studios confirmed in May that “the search for the next James Bond is underway.” “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve has been tapped to helm the next Bond film, but no star has been cast. Daniel Craig, the most recent Bond, retired from the role with 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
In 2020, longtime Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety that going forward, the character must remain male, but he “can be of any color,” though Amazon has since taken control of the franchise following a 2025 agreement with Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Prior to Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby and Sean Connery also played the role of the famed super spy, based on the character in Ian Fleming’s books.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Clooney reveals his pick for next James Bond
