Tom Hardy has confirmed his interest in playing James Bond in a potential 007 film and expressed excitement at the possibility of Christopher Nolan taking over directorial duties for the franchise.
Hardy says that it would be "so cool" if Nolan would become a director for a new Bond film, describing him as "amazing." However, when asked if he's interested to take over the reins from current Bond, British actor Daniel Craig, he stayed tight-lipped, adhering to the saying of keeping silent among other possible contenders for the role.
Hardy explains that an actor will be "automatically out of the race" if their desired role will be discussed. "So I can't possibly comment on that one!" the actor joked in an interview with The Daily Beast.
Hardy continued to praise the director, saying that he believe that Nolan would bring something "new" and "profound" to the franchise. "Daniel [Craig] is so good, and what [Sam] Mendes and Barbara [Broccoli] have done has been so impressive, that it would be a very hard re-imagination to follow," he said.
Whether or not Craig will still be part of the franchise as the iconic character remains to be seen, as his involvement in future films has yet to be confirmed. However, he remains to be the producers' top choice to play James Bond, according to The Guardian. Besides Hardy, other actors up for consideration for the role are Tom Hughes, Idris Elba and Jamie Bell.
In early 2016, Craig controversially said that he would "rather slash his wrists" than play 007 for the fifth time. He has since appeared to have retracted his comments, however, saying that it's the "best job in the world" and he would continue to play the role for as long as he "still gets a kick out of it," according to The Sun.
