Is Jamie Bell the New James Bond?

In the months leading up to the release of last year’sJames BondadventureSpectre, franchise starDaniel Craigmade more than this fair share of disparaging remarks about both the franchise itself and the title character, 007. It seemed clear from many industry observers thatSpectrewould beDaniel Craig’s last James Bond movie, although nothing has been set in stone quite yet. While we wait for the official announcement, it seems another actor has thrown his hat in the ring as a possible replacement,Fantastic FourstarJamie Bell.

Deadlinereports thatJamie Bellhas been in discussions about the role with producerBarbara Broccoli, one of the longtime007producers alongsideMichael G. Wilson, who is also producingJamie Bell’s new projectFilm Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. Nothing is confirmed, and this report reveals that there isn’t even a working script forJames Bond 25yet. It also isn’t known ifSam Mendes, who directedSkyfallandSpectre, will be back to take the helm.

While the next 007 adventure ins’t moving forward at this time,Daniel Craigseems to be taking on more and more work, with the site reporting he just signed on to star inSteven Soderbergh’s heist filmLogan Lucky, along withKatherine Heigland previously-confirmed starsChanning Tatum,Seth MacFarlane,Riley KeoughandAdam Driver. While we don’t know whoDaniel Craigis playing, the story centers on a massive heist that goes down during a NASCAR race in Charlotte, North Carolina. Production is scheduled to begin this fall.

Daniel Craighas also signed on for his first ever U.S. TV series entitledPurity, which is eyeing a two-season 20-episode order at Showtime. The show is based on the novel byJonathan Franzen, following a young activist namedPuritywho embarks on a quest to find her real father. It isn’t known when production will begin on this series, but, withLogan LuckyandPurityalready in the works, it seems almost certain that a new Bond will be announced at some point.

As forJamie Bell, he is coming off the 20th Century Fox superhero rebootFantastic Four, and he also stars in AMC’s hit TV seriesTurn: Washington’s Spies. We reported earlier this month that, despite underperforming at the box office, 20th Century Fox may still move forward with aFantastic Foursequel with the same cast, which also includesMiles Teller(Mr. Fantastic),Michael B. Jordan(The Human Torch) andKate Mara(The Invisible Woman). We’ll keep you posted with more updates on the newJames Bond movie, and who may be replacingDaniel Craig.