As a fan of the James Bond franchise, it seems like we have now to maintain one eye on how the 2025 motion pictures are progressing, with the opposite keenly educated to be taught any new updates pertaining to James Bond 26. On the similar time, incidents like a handful of On line casino Royale auditions seeming to leak to the web are seemingly sufficient to stoke the fires of curiosity.
With 007 nonetheless in search of a brand new face in the intervening time, pondering who might have been is a pastime that makes its personal kind of enjoyable. The most recent spherical of dreaming up alternate Bond historical past has hit because of an audition tape that sees actor Antony Starr’s tackle Ian Fleming’s historic creation. YouTube person “Ron South” struck once more, as that is one other of the 4 audition tapes that the web has been speaking about.
As we stored in thoughts with Henry Cavill’s supposed On line casino Royale audition reel, we nonetheless don’t know if these clips are 100% legit. All we have now is the uploader’s declare that they have been allegedly “present in a recycling Bin at a Film Studio.” Protecting that in thoughts, The Boys star’s studying of the identical Goldeneye scene utilized in every check out definitely feels prefer it’s the real article for 2005.
Wanting again to that point interval, Antony Starr was a relative unknown on the world stage. The New Zealand expertise was nonetheless making a reputation for himself, with visitor appearances in Xena: Warrior Princess and movies like With out A Paddle being his then claims to fame.
In fact, 20 years later, what we learn about The Boys has us freshly evaluating 007 to the gleefully homicidal Homelander. As one would anticipate, that kind of pedigree has led followers of the Prime Video subscription driver to supply such entertaining ideas as what you’ll see on this sampling:
- “Milk. Shaken, not stirred. Yummers.” – @nicoolio_gp
- “Bro already had the Homelander factor going again then.” – @KonaDaGamah
- “0:12 simply standing there he already has the Homelander posture” – @MikeMJPMUNCH
- “Thank God he did not move, we might have misplaced Homelander! Dat is totally unacceptable!” – @asmetanka
- “He appears too good to be Bond. Bond is a ruthless undercover agent. This man seems/acts like a nice faculty instructor.” – @YTguySmithy-lk6go
Okay, in order that final one might not have essentially been a fan of The Boys. On the similar time, information of Antony Starr’s critically sinister superhuman and the deeds he’s finished flip that remark right into a pleasantly humorous distinction. In the event you’re not an everyday viewer of showrunner Eric Kripke’s breakout streaming hit, right here’s a fast, however probably spoiler-ish, primer on Homelander:
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In evaluating the footage from this On line casino Royale audition and Antony Starr’s eventual declare to fame by way of The Boys, it’s exhausting for me to pitch him as the brand new 007. That’s not meant as a knock on the person’s work although, as Starr feels extra like an ideal match for a villain that mixes Alex Trevalyan’s coolness with the megalomania of somebody like Moonraker’s Hugo Drax. Contemplating that rumors for Bond 26’s supposed tonal shift have indicated a brand new period harking back to Roger Moore’s time within the tuxedo, that may be a fairly highly effective mixture in a single’s talent set.
Whereas the way forward for the James Bond motion pictures is a bit up within the air at this level, that may very well be useful to Mr. Starr, ought to he wish to change into part of the subsequent chapter. As The Boys is about to finish with its fifth season, predicted to be unveiled in a 2026 debut, that would appear like sufficient time to meet Homelander’s storyline.
Nevertheless, if it comes right down to a selection between that caped menace or a 007 function, one would suppose that Antony Starr would facet with the celebs and stripes he made so well-known. As we don’t know the way lengthy we’ll be ready for any Bond 26 updates, he form of has on a regular basis on this planet to organize, So if anybody has an motion film gig that might showcase what his present expertise would appear like in such a setting, chances are you’ll wish to begin pitching.