‘Game of Thrones’ Alum Richard Madden Speaks on James Bond Casting Rumor

Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden has spoken out on the recent James Bond casting rumor he was at the center of.

While in attendance at the Emmys FYC event for BBC and Netflix’s Bodyguard, which he stars in, Madden was asked about the reports that he would be the next 007.

“That’s a lovely, flattering rumor that is on the Internet. And at that end, that’s all it is: a lovely, flattering rumor. But no, I’m not,” Madden stated, as reported by IndieWire.

The rumors that Madden would take over the Bond franchise after Daniel Craig exits first emerged in October 2018, with a course telling Uproxx that the former Stark was who producers had their eye on.

“Richard Madden is set to be offered the chance to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to industry sources,” the source said. “It is understood that Barbara Broccoli, the executive producer at Eon Productions who has the final say on all Bond characters, is likely to approach Madden in the next few days.”

“It’s seriously looking like he is going to get the job,” another source said. “Not only is he on top of Barbara’s list, but she is preparing to offer the role.”

The sources also stated that it was actually Maddens’ role in Bodyguard — wherein he plays a police officer-turned-security for a British politician — that landed him on the Bond casting radar.

Interestingly, it was reported by Collider in February that recent Oscar-winner Rami Malek is “in final negotiations” to sign on to play the villain in the next Bond film. Initially, it was said that scheduling conflicts with the final season of his Emmy-winng series Mr. Robot would have an n

“Sources tell Collider, however, that Malek’s team at WME has successfully negotiated his shooting schedule to accommodate both productions,” Collider’s Jeff Sneider explained. “There is no deal quite yet, but one is expected to make — the sides just wanted to wait and see whether Malek would win the Oscar, which would, of course, raise his quote.”

Additionally, back in September 2018, it was announced that the next Bond film would be helmed by director Cary Joji Fukunaga, who is most notable for his work on True Detective and the Netflix series Maniac.

“Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig announced today that #Bond25 will begin filming at Pinewood Studios on 4 March 2019 under the helm of director, Cary Joji Fukunaga with a worldwide release date of 14 February 2020,” read a statement from Bond producers on Fukunaga’s hiring.

The next Bond film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Valentine’s Day, 2020.