There’s no denying to Cillian Murphy’s acting skills. After all, the star was recently awarded Best Actor in a drama for his role in Peaky Blinders as Thomas Shelby at the IFTAs. There are headlines everywhere saying that the odds of Murphy becoming our next James Bond have been slashed. What it truly means was that his odds were 125/1, which is pretty darn bad, but just a while back, they have now dropped to 12/1… which is a bloody good chance. He has also made history as the first Corkonian to do so. Ahead of him is his fellow co-star on Peaky Blinders and Inception, Tom Hardy at a 3/1 chance and also James Norton at the same position. However, Norton has stated not to place any bets on him being the next Bond… so let’s just pretend he’s not in the running.
From his role as transgender Kitten in Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto to his current role as Thomas Shelby in BBC’s Peaky Blinders, the Corkman’s ability to capture the true essence of every character he plays is exceptional. Hence, it’s hardly surprising that fans have begun envisioning the actor as perhaps one of the most coveted roles in the film industry; James Bond.
However, without a proper confirmation, all we can do right now fantasize about Murphy as our new James Bond, and more importantly… list down why we think he’ll be the next Bond and why he would make the perfect double-agent.
1. His relationship with Danny Boyle
With industry insiders suggesting Danny Boyle to direct the next Bond installment, we can’t help but to consider Murphy as the next Bond in view of the great chemistry shared between both actor and director, off-screen. Think about Sunshine and 28 Days Later. Yes. Exactly. And can we take a second to talk about Boyle’s other amazing directorial achievements? Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, were all amazing movies. So you can’t blame us for putting the Douglas-native in the next Bond film the moment we heard Boyle might be taking over.
2. Bond is now dark & brooding
Let’s forget Pierce’s playboy-ish take on Bond for a second. Craig changed the Bond franchise with his dark and brooding take on the character, so obviously, we’re thinking the same for the next Bond. Even if you put the top 2 other Bond contenders, Hardy and Norton, you definitely get a dark and brooding vibe from both. And we’re not talking about Edward from Twilight ‘dark and brooding’, we’re talking Thomas Shelby dark and brooding. Hell, Murphy could be a double-agent right now and I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean look at this.
He definitely has a quiet intensity that would lend itself to a very Dalton-esque Bond.
3. Complex characters are Murphy’s forté
Murphy once said that the biggest draw he had when it came to playing the role of Thomas Shelby was the multi-faceted nature of the character:
“The character was so rich and complex, layered and contradictory. I was like, ‘I have to do this’.”
Well, I mean… if it’s layers and contradictory that he wants…
4. We need another Irish Bond
No offence to Brosnan, but it’s about time the torched was passed. According to OddsChecker:
“The Irishman is the darling of the Great British public at the moment, and that’s replicated in who people want as their next heartthrob to play the prestigious role.”
“With the amount of attention we’re seeing on Murphy, bookies have had to respond, and his chances of becoming the famous secret agent are increasing more and more by the minute.”
Can’t argue with that.
5. Murphy can work a suit.
And let’s be honest… that probably the biggest reason why.
The as-of-yet untitled 25th Bond film is set for release in November 2019. Who is YOUR ideal Bond?
