Regé-Jean Page Of 'Bridgerton' Fame Being Considered For James Bond
Bridgerton, the newest Netflix historical drama, has been a star-making turn for its male lead, Regé-Jean Page. But if the odds work in his favor, Page’s role as the Duke of Hastings may lead him to a larger and more iconic role.
The Sun reports that the 31-year-old actor has risen in the rankings of actors that betting firm Ladbrokes sees as taking over the James Bond role once Daniel Craig ends his run. Page, whose odds were previously at 40/1, has now risen to 5/1. He is just behind bigger names like Tom Hardy, James Norton, and Idris Elba.
Quoting Alex Apati of Ladbrokes, the publication says Page may soon eclipse Elba, Norton, and Hardy when it comes to possible successors to Daniel Craig. The betting company says the surge in popularity for Page comes from the success of Bridgerton.
The historical drama has definitely been a success for Netflix. According to the streaming giant, the drama was watched by 63 million households in less than a month. The massive viewership makes the show the fifth-largest Netflix original series launch of all time.
Bridgerton is also an international hit for Netflix, with the show placing in the top 10 of 76 other countries where Netflix is available. Among critics, Bridgerton has also been well-received. It currently enjoys a 92 percent “Fresh” rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
However, Variety cautions that Page rising in a betting firm's rankings is not a perfect indicator of his closeness to the Bond role. Apati is quoted by Variety as saying that these numbers are not unusual given the popularity of the show.
According to Apati, odds of Cillian Murphy being chosen as the next Bond also rose during the height of his historical drama Peaky Blinders. Richard Madden and Paul Mescal were also favored to become Bond during the run of their shows, Bodyguard and Normal People.
That said, Apati also said that the announcement of Craig’s replacement seems to be just around the corner. He says that it is great timing that Bridgerton is enjoying immense success and popularity right this moment because Page’s name is fresh in people’s minds.
No Time To Die, the latest Bond film, is set to premiere in theaters in April after several postponements caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. Barbara Broccoli, who produces the Bond films, says that it will be the last film with Daniel Craig as Bond. She says the film will tie up all the storylines for Craig’s run as Bond.