This year marks the 70th anniversary of author Ian Fleming first published Casino Royale. Thanks to that literary watershed, the James Bond movies eventually became a theatrical powerhouse that still excites the world to this day. In 2023, the hunt is on for the next 007 for the big screen, and in that search, it’s always interesting to learn the opinions of an actor who in once wore the tuxedo and carried the Walther PP7.
In that spirit, it should surprise no one that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service vet George Lazenby has a take, and he wants the next Bond to be an Aussie. The part that might take some aback, however, is that he has a specific actor in mind for the role. In a recent interview with TMZ, he named Liam Hemsworth as his pick to be 007. Apparently, Lazenby believes that the youngest Hemsworth brother has quite a few qualifications to land the role.
Aside from a common bond of Australian heritage with Lazenby, Liam Hemsworth is an actor who is young and talented enough to take over the mantle recently vacated by Daniel Craig with No Time To Die. While Craig’s tenure of 007 films casts a pretty huge shadow, George Lazenby believes that Liam has the attitude and charisma to meet the challenge. It’s that aspect in particular that properly sets up the kinship that Lazenby feels with Hemsworth.
As the first actor to inhabit the role when Sean Connery’s James Bond run initially came to an end, this “other fella” knows what he’s talking about. Debuting in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby’s only outing as Commander Bond initially landed with a bit of a thud, only to be reappraised over time. George Lazenby mentioned in his interview that just as he was brash enough to challenge the already mythic imprint Sean Connery left in Bond history by time the Scottish star had made 1967’s You Only Live Twice, he feels that Hemsworth has the right amount of bravado to do just that in the wake of Daniel Craig.
Continuing a legacy that’s seen George Lazenby associated with a more off-the-beaten-path sensibility in the 007 franchise, the actor suggesting Liam Hemsworth seems to go against the most recent Bond buzz to hit the internet. Various sources seem to be convinced that Bullet Train actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has supposedly landed the role, or at the very least has taken clandestine meetings with EON Productions.
There’s no specific end in sight when it comes to the hunt for the next James Bond, though we do have some milestones that help narrow the window a little bit. As the currently untitled Bond 26 is set for a 2024 shoot, one might assume that the 007th actor to play the role will be announced in the fall.
That being said, there’s still some time for Liam Hemsworth to submit his headshot, and throw his hat into the ring of contenders that want to usher in the next frame of Bond history. In the meantime, the world will just have to wait to see whose face will be on the big screen when James Bond eventually returns.
