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Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s road to becoming the next James Bond just got steeper, thanks to the dismal performance of his latest film, ‘Kraven the Hunter.’
The $110-130 million Sony production barely made a ripple, grossing only $61 million globally, with an embarrassing $11 million domestic debut.
The flop has industry insiders questioning whether Taylor-Johnson, 34, possesses the mainstream appeal needed for such an iconic role.
Despite his strong performance and physicality in Kraven, many believe the film’s poor reception might hurt his chances with MGM and Amazon, who are overseeing the next Bond installment.
“Kraven has been a real disaster for Sony and a really tough break for Aaron,” a producer who has worked with Bond actors, and who refused to reveal their name, said. “It is not that he was bad in the film or had no screen presence, but the script just didn’t appeal to fans. The bigger question is how this impacts how producers in town, and especially Bond executives, view him.”
Unlike well-established A-listers who can weather occasional missteps, lesser-known actors like Taylor-Johnson face tougher scrutiny after such setbacks.
Taylor-Johnson’s ability to command attention on-screen and lead major promotional campaigns could still work in his favor.
“There are pluses for Aaron,” the producer explained. “Aaron showed with Kraven he could adopt the physicality of Bond and lead a media promotional campaign. All these factors matter when becoming Bond. However the casting decision is not 100 percent locked in and there are still actors being looked at to take on the most iconic role in British cinema.”
As Bond casting decisions remain open, other contenders like Callum Turner, James Norton, and Oscar-nominated Paul Mescal are also in the mix.
Taylor-Johnson has received praise from former Bond actors like Pierce Brosnan, who commended his talent, charisma, and action-star credentials.
“I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so,” the 71-year-old said.
“He’s grown into a wonderful actor and when he was a little younger, he did this extraordinary sort of action film where he played a superhero,” Brosnan told ‘Good Morning Britain.’ “And he’s great, look at him now, he’s black tie, handsome and yeah, he’d be a great Bond.”
Daniel Craig is the most recent actor to take on Bond, kicking things off in 2006 with ‘Casino Royale,’ and calling it quits after 2021’s ‘No Time to Die.’
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