And I’m hearing that the Bond producers – Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson – are desperate for him to sign on the dotted line after they were blown away by the British actor’s audition/screen test, which was done a couple of months ago.

The question of who will play Bond next, following Daniel Craig’s time as the iconic British spy, is one that many people and outlets have been frantically discussing.

The Bond producers were claiming for quite some time that they weren’t even thinking about who’ll play Bond next once Craig hands over up the Walther PPK for good.

I don’t believe them one bit. I’m pretty certain they knew who they wanted from the beginning, and they’ve been pursuing him ever since.

AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON IS THE MAN THE JAMES BOND PRODUCERS WANT FOR THE ROLE

Credit: 20th Century Studios

I think that person was, and still is, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I’ve been a fan of his work for years, ever since I first saw him in Kick-Ass, and I think he’s always delivering excellent performances.

The guy’s got range. Just look at his terrifying performance in Nocturnal Animals and compare that to his slightly stoic yet controlled performance in a movie like Godzilla.

He really is a unique talent, and I don’t think there’s an actor quite like him working in Hollywood today. All of this is to say that I’m a big fan of Taylor-Johnson’s work, and I think he should be Bond.

I also think that he would appeal to many more people in the role. Take my wife, for instance.

She’ll hate me bringing her up here, but she thinks that Taylor-Johnson is, as she put it, “super sexy”, and I would have to agree with her.

He’s got a sex appeal that I think the character really needs. Yes, Craig was buff and looked good in a tux, but I’m going to be honest here, I don’t think he was really “sexy” the way that Aaron is.

He’s also British, which helps. He’s probably not ‘posh’ as some of the other actors who played the role in the past, but he is an actor, and he could easily pull off a posher accent than his native London twang.

JAMES BOND PRODUCERS HAVE OFFERED HIM THE ROLE ALREADY

Credit: Sony Pictures

The rumour is that the Bond producers really want him for the role. It’s even been reported that they’ve offered it to him already.

I’ve also heard that Taylor-Johnson did an audition for the role, and it blew the producers away.

If you’re not familiar with how casting the next Bond actor works, the producers tend to get the actors to wear the iconic Bond tux and play out a scene from one of the older Bond films.

I heard that Taylor-Johnson did a scene from one of the Sean Connery Bond movies.

I wasn’t able to find out which one. However, I’ve been informed that he was incredible, and the producers wanted him there and then.

The issue is that Taylor-Johnson doesn’t want to be tied down to a specific franchise for too long. He wants the freedom to act in movies that interest him the most.

AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Credit: The Weinstein Company

I’ve also heard that Taylor-Johnson wants to be quite involved in the whole creative process should he accept the role. He basically wants a similar deal to the one Daniel Craig got towards the end of his time as Bond.

He wants to have a hand in choosing the movie’s director and also wants to oversee the script, which I’m being told will be penned by long-time Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

I’m not so happy with that decision. I don’t think that Purvis and Wade are the best scriptwriters out there. Their Bond movies have been a bit hit or miss over the past few years.

They did write Casino Royale and Skyfall, which were damn good Bond movies. Yet, they also wrote the likes of The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Quantum Of Solace (although the writers’ strike was going on during the writing of that movie’s script) and Spectre.

I’m of the opinion that all of those are pretty poor Bond movies. So, the two of them being on board this upcoming Bond project might be a cause for concern, and it might prevent Taylor-Johnson from accepting the iconic role.

TAYLOR-JOHNSON WILL ONLY TAKE BOND IF HE BELIEVES IN THE PROJECT

Credit: Lionsgate

I know that sounds daft, but Aaron wants to be part of a project that he believes in. If he doesn’t like the script or the writers’ ideas, then I’m sure he’ll pass on the opportunity.

Right, now it’s time for the newsy bit of this article and less about the stuff I’ve heard through the grapevine.

Whilst attending the London premiere of his latest film, The Fall Guy, Taylor-Johnson was asked whether he was “sick of being asked about Bond”.

What entailed was a rather tense pause from the British actor, and then he gave a slightly forced laugh and said: “You sick of asking the question?”

So, what does this tell us? Well, not much really. However, the fact that he didn’t just say “no” means to me that he’s still thinking about accepting the role and does actually want to talk about Bond.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with all of this, but if I were a betting man (which I am not), I would put my money on Taylor-Johnson getting the role in the end.

The Bond producers must realise that they’re going to have to be flexible if they want their man, and I’ve been assured that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is their man.