Hugh Jackman As James Bond: Daniel Craig Jokingly Says ‘Over My Dead Body’

DANIEL Craig jokingly responds to the idea that Hugh Jackman will carry on the role of James Bond following Craig’s departure in No Time to Die.

Craig has been the face of Eon Productions’ James Bond franchise for 15 years now beginning with the critically acclaimed reboot Casino Royale and continuing with Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.

The latter film saw the introduction of iconic Bond villain Blofeld to Craig’s era of films and tied the previous sequels together, all of which will culminate to the story of No Time to Die.

The upcoming film is set five years after Spectre and sees Bond return to active service after his CIA friend Felix Leiter approaches him for help in the search for a missing scientist, putting him on the path to the dangerous villain Lyutsifer Safin.

The cast for No Time to Die includes Craig in his final outing, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz and Rory Kinnear.

After suffering multiple delays in its production and release schedules from changes in directors and the COVID-19 pandemic, the film is now gearing up for its release in October.

In an interview for No Time to Die, Craig addressed the rumors of Jackman taking over the part of Bond. Craig immediately shot the idea down and added a a joking jab at the former X-Men star, to which Jackman took to Twitter to share the interview clip and humorously confirm the rumor to be killed by Craig at that point.

The actor says, “He’s not going to be it. Over my dead body.”

As Craig prepares to move on to other things following the release of No Time to Die, the talk of the town has become all about who will succeed him as Bond, even if the franchise producers aren’t thinking about it until next year.

The idea of Jackman in the part is sure to be an intriguing notion for fans of the X-Men star, but Craig’s shooting down of the rumors may come as a disappointment to some. While his joke regarding Jackman taking the part over Craig’s dead body may seem a bit harsh, it clearly comes from a place of humor from the Golden Globe nominee, especially considering the past they have in regards to the role.

For the Apple TV+ documentary Being James Bond, Craig revealed that Jackman was a major help in his struggles with the stardom that came from the role, assisting Craig in coming to terms with the fame and helping him find an appreciation for it.

Despite his hesitation to return to the part following Spectre, these words of advice are clearly paying off for fans with Craig having saddled up for one more ride with No Time to Die, which the marketing has promised to be an epic conclusion for his tenure in the role. Only time will tell when the film arrives in theaters on October 8.

(ROHN ROMULO)