Could the Australian actor and musical theatre star be next in line to play the famous spy?

Australian actor Hugh Jackman has sparked a flurry of speculation on social media that he may be the next actor to take on the role of the British super-spy lothario, James Bond, in the globally successful film franchise.

The smoking (golden) gun came in the form of a short video – suspiciously lasting 0:07 seconds in length – posted by Jackman yesterday evening. With an impeccable British accent, Jackman delivers one of Bond’s best known catchphrases, relating to his preferred variety of Martini.

 

SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED.

A video posted by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on

There has been no further indication or insider leak that confirms that Jackman will be taking the Bond baton from the current incumbent, 47 year-old British actor Daniel Craig. However during promotional interviews for the most recent Bond installment, Spectre, Craig made several disparaging comments about the demands of the role, even going as far as to say he would rather “slash my wrists” than appear in another Bond movie. Craig has subsequently backtracked, saying in more recent interviews that he is yet to decide if he will reprise his role as the Martini-loving, womanising secret agent, but many have taken his earlier comments, along with Jackman’s mysterious video, to be a strong indication that a new Bond announcement may be imminent.

If rumours turn out to be true, Jackman will be the second Australian to star in the role. 76-year-old Aussie actor George Lazenby portrayed Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and was the youngest actor to ever play the character at the age of 29. Despite having little prior acting experience Lazenby managed against the odds to secure the role, only to give up the part after just one film citing creative differences with the producers. Following the shock departure Lazenby was branded a primadonna by some of his co-stars. English actress Diana Rigg, who played Contessa Teresa di Vincenzo, Bond’s ill-fated wife, famously commented, “I can no longer cater for his [Lazenby’s] obsession with himself. He is utterly, unbelievably, bloody impossible.”

Discover Limelight's most-read arts stories of 2023.