“Honestly, [it’s] pure speculation. When it comes up in conversation, as someone who’s been a fan of the series since I was a child, you kind of go, ‘Really? You’ve got to be kidding,’ ” he said. However, he isn’t immune to the chatter that’s swirling but he believes it’s because of a recent performance that seems make many believe he’d be well suited to wear the tuxedo and order a martini.
“It’s all come from [upcoming
AMC series] ‘
The Night Manager’…and I play a spy, a former British soldier who is recruited by MI6 to become a spy. There’s a seduction and a glamour to that world, and [my character is] seduced very much by Hugh Laurie’s character, who plays an international arms dealer. And so people have made the link, but honestly I think [the conversation of], ‘Who’s going to be the next Bond?’ is a national pastime.”
Basically, if you want to see Hiddleston get his spy game on, watch "The Night Manager."
Meanwhile, MGM recently got on the horn for an investors conference call, and when asked if the 007 series would ramp up to join "Star Wars," Marvel and DC in their ambitious slate of films, which sees a new production coming on pace of every two years or less, the answer was clear.
"Bond is the most valuable property that we have, and it’s been on a cycle of every three-to-four years, and I anticipate it will be on that same three-to-four year cycle," an executive said. And really, why mess with a successful template?
Listen to the full chat with Hiddleston below, preceded by a talk with his "I Saw The Light" co-star Elizabeth Olsen.
