Shaken, not stirred.
Taron Egerton has dropped out of the race to become the next James Bond as Amazon MGM Studios eyes their new international man of mystery.
During a recent interview with Collider, the British actor admitted that he wouldn’t be a “good choice” to play the next 007 after Daniel Craig, 57, gave up the iconic mantle following 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
“I think I’m too messy for that,” Egerton, 35, told the outlet. “I really love James Bond and particularly Daniel Craig’s tenure. But I think I wouldn’t be good at it.”
“I think there are so many cool, younger actors who would be great for it,” the “Smoke” actor added. “I think it would be wasted on me, probably.”
However, Egerton clarified that his opposition to playing the next Bond doesn’t mean he doesn’t “have aspirations and plans” to star in “more commercial” movies in the future.
“I think I’m in a period in my life where I’ve been following the things that speak to me on a creative level a little bit more, but I’m sure I won’t feel that way forever,” Egerton explained.
“But James Bond is quite an undertaking, and I think, one, as far as I’m aware, nobody’s asking me to do it,” the “Rocketman” star added. “But also, it’s possibly not quite the thing that would make me happiest.”
“I do think it’s a big old undertaking, it kind of consumes your life, a role like that,” Egerton concluded.
The actor previously starred as Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, a stylish spy similar to Bond, in director Matthew Vaughn’s 2014 film “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and its 2017 sequel.
Although he did not appear in the 2021 prequel “The King’s Man,” Vaughn teased “Kingsman 3” and Egerton’s possible return during an event back in 2023.
As for 007, Egerton wouldn’t be the first actor to distance himself from the role.
“Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding, 38, said that playing James Bond is “every actor’s kind of nightmare” during an interview with People last month.
“Why can’t they bring out more agents or more 00s? I think that would be so much more fun, because there just aren’t the restraints and the expectation,” he said.
“Maybe I’m just a p—y. I don’t know,” Golding added. “But I think I would love it so much more if there wasn’t that overhanging cultural pressure.”
After obtaining creative control of the franchise in February, Amazon MGM Studios announced in June that “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve would helm the studio’s first Bond film.
“I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” Villeneuve, 57, said after being named director. “I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”
“This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor,” he added.
While the lead role has not been filled, the rumor mill has been in overdrive with suggestions on which actors should be in contention. The list includes Henry Cavill, Harris Dickinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba and more.
Pierce Brosnan, who played the martini-sipping secret agent before Craig took over in 2006’s “Casino Royale,” insisted back in March that the new 007 must be British.
Brosnan, 72, also commended producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson for handing over the franchise’s creative control to Amazon MGM.
“It takes great courage for them to let go,” he told the Telegraph at the time.
“I hope that [Amazon] handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect,” the “Die Another Day” star added.
