Last year, British actor tom hiddleston was widely believed to be the next James Bond, even though no official offer had been made. Daniel Craig had previously hinted he wanted to leave the franchise, which opened doors to other actors to grab the coveted role.
However, it appears that producers behind the 007 franchise have abandoned the Brit, and are looking to hire Craig once again. This is another loss for Hiddleston, who has had a rough year.
Back to Craig
When Daniel Craig was quoted in Page Six saying he'd rather slash his wrists than do another "James Bond" movie, fans and media went on a hunt to find the next 007 agent.
Tom Hiddleston was reported to be in the running to replace Craig, even though he had not been officially offered the role. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, he said: "Obviously it's very flattering that people think I'm part of the conversation, but neither of those two opportunities have come my way."
Now, Page Six reports that James Bond producer, Barbara Broccoli, is working to get Craig on board again. The two have worked together on a hit off-Broadway production of "Othello", which earned great reviews. The source had the following to say on Broccoli's opinion of Hiddleston: "Barbara Broccoli doesn’t like Tom Hiddleston, he’s a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."
A tough year
Tom Hiddleston had a rough time in 2016 and in the first few months of this year.
His widely publicized, but short-lived romance with Taylor Swift became tabloid fodder. The timing of their highly public romance perfectly coincided with reports that the actor was negotiating with the Bond producers. Rumors swirled that their relationship was merely a PR stunt, which did nothing to help the actor's career, as he was portrayed as fame hungry in the media.
In addition, a GQ interview in which he enthusiastically cooked pasta bolognese and showed up at the journalist's hotel at five in the morning to talk about love was mocked on all fronts.
This year, Hiddleston won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV drama. But his award speech drew criticism for being too self-centered, and he was accused of portraying himself as a "white savior".
Camera shots of the audience also showed that his colleagues were experiencing a heavy dose of second-hand embarrassment. The entire ordeal ended with the actor apologizing on social media soon after.