James Bond author reveals an easy way to know when an actor has 'been rejected' for the role

James Bond writer Charlie Higson has revealed one way to tell if an actor isn’t going to play the role.

Ever since Daniel Craig announced he’d be stepping down from playing Bond after 2021’s No Time to Die, a plethora of actors have been linked to the role.

Famous names touted to be the next Bond have included Idris Elba, James Norton, Taron Egerton, Henry Caville and Ashley Taylor-Johnson.

Earlier this week, fans thought Richard Madden had given a massive hint that he’d bagged the role after he was seen knocking back a Martini (presumably shaken) with Stanley Tucci.

However, Higson, who wrote the Young Bond series for teens and has recently been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publication to write a new Bond story for King Charles III's coronation, reckons that once you’ve heard an actor is ‘being considered’ for Bond he’s already out of the running.

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“As soon as the papers say, ‘So and so is being considered as the next James Bond’, you know that they’re not going to be the next James Bond, you know that they’ve been rejected,” he said.

“Eon (Productions) who make the films play their cards very close to the chest and a lot of times they really surprise people… in particular, Daniel Craig, nobody had any idea at all that he might be Bond.

“If you’d been asked in advance, you’d have said, ‘Daniel Craig, James Bond, surely not.’ But then he’s just so good in Casino Royale… any doubts you might have had immediately go out the window.

“So they’re pretty clever on that front and they will inevitably wait to make the announcement at the right time to get the maximum amount of publicity.”

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When asked who he’d like to see play the role, he said Norton.

However, given that he’s already been linked to the role, following Higson’s rule, that means he’s out.

In fact, following that rule means pretty much every British star - and at least one Australian - is out, too.

According to Ladbrooks, the current front runner to play Bond is Gangs of London’s Paapa Essiedu, who has overtaken Norton, while Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy and Caville round out the top five.

Ladbrokes spokesperson Alex Apati, said: “The name could well be Essiedu… Paapa Essiedu, if the latest odds are anything to go by. It’s by far the biggest Bond betting move of the year.”