It may be a droughtlander for Outlander right now, but at least there’s talk of Scottish actor Sam Heughan being on the shortlist to play James Bond to give fans something to chew on. In fact, following a few weeks where Heughan’s odds for the 007 role have greatly improved, some footage from his co-star Caitriona Balfe has resurfaced giving her delightful take on Sam Heughan’s chances.
In fact, if you were to ask Caitriona Balfe (and ET Canada did back in 2016), the actress would say that perhaps it wouldn’t do Sam Heughan the most good to be the handsome lead of one of the most popular TV series right now (aka Outlander) as well as the next Bond. Too many fandoms might make him too big for his britches.
I would have to put up with Bond, can you imagine? Like, his head would never get through the trailer door.
The resurfaced clip is interesting, not only because it shows great wit and a chumminess are part of the Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan working relationship, but also because it really gives us a good gauge of how long Sam Heughan’s name has been bandied about to play Bond, James Bond. People were asking about this years ago, but the footage is making the rounds again simply because Sam Heughan is a possible contender for the role.
For quite some time, Outlander’s Sam Heughan has been one of the major names that has been oft-discussed as a potential replacement for Daniel Craig in the 007 universe. Recently, he was kicked out of the very top slot when it comes to people betting on who will be next, ceding the #1 position to James Norton, known for his previous starring role in Grantchester. Still, last I checked, Sam Heughan has great odds when it comes to possibly landing the gig.
Sam Heughan himself has played into the narrative quite a bit. I mean, it’s not totally his fault, as people ask him about playing 007 quite frequently. Still, he likes to indulge in the conversation rather than shutting it down, saying things like “Who doesn’t want to see another Scottish Bond?,” as well as connecting some of his other action roles to the franchise. Sean Connery previously was the last Scottish Bond.
Meanwhile, if things had played out differently in 2020, we may have already learned who will be the next Bond. No Time To Die was supposed to be released way back in April. If theaters had not shut down and the movie had come out, Barbara Broccoli and co. might have keenly made a choice and an official announcement already. As it stands, there’s still a pretty long shortlist of who could take on the role next.
However, given how 2020 has played out, at some point No Time To Die will still need to hit theaters with a big, splashy marketing campaign. Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond will be a big selling point, and I doubt anyone wants to shine a spotlight on a new person taking on the role until the movie finally gets in front of audiences.
Now, we just hope that will be sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Sam Heughan’s got plenty of other work to look forward to. Outlander Season 6 is on the way over at Starz.
