Tom Hardy teased fans by joining in on an April Fools day joke that had fans believing he was taking over the James Bond franchise from Daniel Craig.
Hardy posted a screenshot of a fake article that alleged Craig had quit and that he has been cast as the “new 007.” The Inception actor joked in a caption on the post that he was already in his “tux and on the runway.”
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The Daily Mail reports that many fans fell for the initial joke, with one person saying, “Found out about Tom Hardy being James Bond through Tom Hardy’s Instagram. This is insane,” and another adding, “OF COURSE Tom Hardy is the new James Bond. Literally. Cannot. Wait.”
It is probably safe to assume that both fans were likely disappointed to find out that Hardy is, in fact, not taking over as James Bond. At least, not right now anyway, but anything is possible and stranger things have happened.
While Hardy may not be joining the 007 franchise, it was recently announced that 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle has officially signed on to direct Bond 25.
According to Metro, Boyle himself revealed that he will helm the movie that begins shooting at the end of 2018.
Boyle has been speculated to be the producers’ choice for some time now, but he only just confirmed the rumors at a March 14 screening of his new FX series Trust.
“We are working on a script right now. And it all depends on that really. I am working on a Richard Curtis script at the moment. We hope to start shooting that in 6 or 7 weeks,” Boyle said. “Then Bond would be right at the end of the year. But we are working on them both right now.”
In addition to announcing that he is in fact directing the next 007 film, Boyle also revealed that Trainspotting scribe John Hodge is helping with the script.
“We’ve got an idea, John Hodge, the screenwriter, and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment. And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away,” Boyle added.
The last two Bond films, Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), were directed by Sam Mendes. While Skyfall is among one of the best reviewed Bond films of all-time, Spectre was not as well-received.
This will be the fourth director that current James Bond star Daniel Craig has worked with on the 007 movies, with Martin Campbell having directed 2006’s Casino Royale, and Marc Foster in the director’s chair for 2008’s Quantum of Solace.