Scottish Netflix actor rumoured as ‘serious’ contender to play James Bond
A relatively unknown Scottish actor, Stuart Martin, is the latest star rumoured to be connected with the highly coveted 007 role.
Since Daniel Craig officially stepped down from the role after the 2021 film, No Time To Die, fans have desperately wondered who is set to become the next British spy.
Rumours have been flying about James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Idris Elba – but a new, lesser-known actor has now entered the shortlist.
Stuart, 39, is reportedly the latest actor being discussed in Hollywood circles.
‘Stuart is the name that has been discussed in Bond circles by those in the know,’ an LA movie consultant who has worked with the Bond franchise told MailOnline.
‘He is in serious contention. No one will confirm this because Eon goes all out to deny and shy away from anything concerning casting, but it would be an amazing milestone to have a Scottish Bond again.’
The movie consultant added that there are still ‘hurdles to jump through’ but the Bond production company Eon, which holds the rights to all of Ian Fleming’s Bond works, ‘doesn’t give a damn whether the man who lands the job is famous or not.’
Stuart Martin is best known for playing Den in the Netflix films from Zach Snyder, Rebel Moon and the sequel Part Two: The Scargiver.
He is also known for his television roles in Jamestown, Medici: Masters of Florence, Army of Thieves, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke.
The last time a Scottish actor played James Bond on screen was in 1971 when Sean Connery appeared in Diamonds Are Forever.
The actor appeared as Bond in six official Bond movies and is remembered fondly by fans of the franchise.
If Stuart is indeed in the running he will have stiff competition, fans are convinced after watching Playing Nice that James Norton is set to play 007.
Fans noticed that the actor avoided wearing a tux in the series and instead wore a suit when his character attended a formal black tie event. This led many to theorise that he had been cast as Bond, which would mean he is not allowed to be seen in a tux in any other media.
In 2023, James addressed the Bond rumoured, he told Variety that no discussions with Bond producers had taken place. ‘No, no conversations. Basically nothing else to say other than I think they’re probably still working it all out.
‘It’s a big challenge to know which direction to take that huge franchise in. But beyond that, it’s lots of quite fun and bemusing media coverage. There’s nothing concrete behind it.’
The Crown’s Josh O’Connor also recently had a coy response when asked about the Bond rumours.
He told Deadline that the rumours about him playing Bond are just that, rumours: ‘The truth is that … I think in the space of a week, I made a joke about, wouldn’t it be funny if I played Bond? Then, me and Daniel [Craig] did an Actors on Actors, and then something else happened, and then suddenly I was James Bond.’
He added: ‘If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.’
Scottish Netflix actor rumoured as ‘serious’ contender to play James Bond