It seemed as though Aaron Taylor-Johnson was all but confirmed as the next James Bond – but new reports have suggested otherwise.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson faces surprise competition for the role of James Bond (Picture: Getty)
The British actor, 33, was reportedly all set to be the brand new 007, with some people even speculating on who his new Bond girl might be.

Daniel Craig announced he would be hanging up his license to kill after No Time to Die, the fifth Bond film he’d been part of, which was released back in 2021.

However, despite an announcement about Taylor-Johnson appearing to be almost imminent, another name has recently re-emerged, blowing the race wide open once again.

Odds on Taron Egerton stepping into James Bond’s shoes have reportedly shrunk in recent weeks, leading some to believe he might be Britain’s next secret weapon.

Experts have spotted that Egerton’s odds have dropped to 11/4, despite ruling himself out of the running as recently as last April.

Taron Egerton is suddenly second favourite (Picture: FilmMagic)
While Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging star Taylor-Johnson is still the overwhelming favourite, Egerton’s sudden rise certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Gambling.com said: ‘Back in April 2023, the 34-year-old said he doesn’t think he is the right choice for the role.

‘Fast forward a year and the Tetris star’s stock is only getting bigger and he could be in line to take over from Craig as Bond.’

The 34-year-old rose to movie stardom in 2015 when he took on the role of Gareth ‘Eggsy’ Unwin in Kingsman: The Secret Service, the first film of the spy action comedy franchise.

Egerton made a big name for himself starring as Elton John (Picture: Paramount/David Appleby)

Taylor-Johnson seemed to have the role wrapped up – and is still the favourite (Picture: Rex Features)
In 2017, he reprised the role of Eggsy in Kingsman: The Golden Circle – both Kingsman films have been repeatedly compared to James Bond over the last decade.

However, Egerton really made a name for himself in 2019 when he starred in the lead role for the Elton John biopic Rocketman, which won one Oscar and two Golden Globes.

Edgerton was personally nominated for a Bafta, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors’ Guild award for his work on the film.

Taylor-Johnson, a noughties teen icon, starred in superhero movies Kick-Ass and The Avengers before also joining the Kingsman franchise in The King’s Man, which came out in 2021.

Daniel Craig stepped down from his Bond role after No Time to Die (Picture: MGM)
In addition to there being no official statement on who’ll be playing James Bond in the future, there’s also no word on when the next film in the franchise will be coming along.

As of 2024, the longest gap between two Bond films currently stands at six years, with License to Kill – Timothy Dalton’s final outing as the spy – coming in 1989 before Pierce Brosnan’s debut as 007 in GoldenEye in 1995.

There was then a gap of four years between Quantum of Solace in 2008 and 2012’s Skyfall, which grossed over $1bn at the worldwide box office.