I have read a couple of things on twitter recently suggesting certain actors are too old, or too young to play Bond. But how old is Bond? Ian Fleming made very few explicit references to Bond’s age. The clearest came in the third novel Moonraker, published in 1955. Bond states that he is “eight years shy” of mandatory retirement age for a 00, forty-five. This would make him thirty-seven. In You Only Live Twice we get to read Bond’s obituary when he is presumed dead. This tells us he was seventeen, but claimed to be nineteen when he joined the service in 1941. This however only tells us how old he was at the time of these novels as the passage of time between many of the books isn’t always clear. From reading these I have always seen the character as being late 30’s early 40’s. But what of the actors who have played the part?
Note: All ages are approximate based on when the film was shot.
Sean Connery (1930 – 2020) – Connery was 31, in his first Bond movie Dr. No (1962), He left the role after You Only Live Twice (1967) age 36. He returned for Diamonds Are Forever (1971) age 40 (although he looked about 50!). He then returned again for the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983) age 52, but didn’t look that much older than in his last official Bond movie.
George Lazenby (1939) – Appearing in just one Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), the youngest to date Lazenby was just 29 during production.
Roger Moore (1927 – 2017) – Moore was actually older than Connery, although considered for Bond around 1967 when he was 40, he didn’t actually get the part until, Live and Let Die (1973) at the age of 46. Having made seven Bond films he is often regarded as the longest serving Bond, but all the films came in just twelve years culminating in A View to a Kill (1985) by the time he was 57.
Timothy Dalton (1946) – Considered for the part multiple times including as early as 1968 when he was just 21. He has stated, that he turned it down when he was around 25, as he felt he was too young for the part. His name came up again around 79/80 when he was around 30. He finally got the part: The Living Daylights (1987) age 40. His second and final Bond film came just two years later, Licence to Kill (1989) when he was 42.
Pierce Brosnan (1953) – Like the previous two Bond’s, Brosnan came close before getting the part. He was offered the role in what became The Living Daylights before Dalton when he was around 33 at the time, but had to drop out due to a conflict with the TV Remington Steele. He got the part just under a decade later, his first film GoldenEye (1995) age 42. By the final film Die Another Day (2002), he was 49.
Daniel Craig (1968) – The longest serving (official) Bond based on years in the role, Craig’s first Bond was Casino Royale (2006) age 37. His final film was mainly shot last year but isn’t set for release until next year: No Time to Die (2021) he was 51 at the time of shooting.
So there you have it the youngest Bond was 29, and the oldest 57. What next, how old will the next James Bond be? A lot depends on the story they want to tell. If they go for another reboot, they could go as young as they want, pre 00 days possibly to his time as a Royal Naval Reserve, or when first recruited into the secret service. I have long suggested bringing Timothy Dalton back to play an older retired Bond, this idea could now also work with Pierce Brosnan. Or, they could do what they have done four previous times (five if you count Connery’s return), just drop a new actor into the part with saying a word, well except a joke in the cold open!
Back in September it was reported that major UK bookmakers had stopped taking bets on Tom Hardy, some even suggested he already had the part. I don’t believe this to be true, and In some ways this could hamper his chances in the end as it will take a lot of air out of the big announcement when finally made. Born in 1977, he is 43 now. They are unlikely to start shooting the next film before an official announcement of the star his made, and they are not going to announce the new Bond until after the release of No Time to Die (hopefully, Covid allowing next year), as a result the next film could go into production in 2022 by which time Hardy will be 45. A year younger than Moore in Live and Let Die, so not the oldest Bond debut, but not far off. This delay could present an interesting opportunity; it has already been confirmed Nomi, the character played by Loshana Lynch (just turned 33) is the new 007, promoted to the role after Bond quit/retired. Assuming her character is any good and doesn’t get “fridged”, why not make film starring her. As a 00 agent, it would be a Bond film in all but name that should please those calling for woman to play Bond, and appease those who say a woman cannot be Bond! Most importantly it could begin pre-production now and script allowing, begin filming as soon as the lockdowns ease.
As the promotion of next spring’s No Time To Die, the 25 James Bond movie gets underway, the merry go round of who will replace Daniel Craig as 007. The first thing I would say is that I am only talking about male actors, Bond is a man, and as M (Judi Dench) says in GoldenEye “a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War”. There have been many suggestions that Ian Fleming’s character was actually a closeted or repressed homosexual. This isn’t as outlandish as it sounds. The books were written at a time when it was illegal to be gay. A gay friend, who knows a lot more than me on the subject once told me that the secret services actively recruited gay men at this time. Putting all this aside, the character would change too much if a woman were cast. That’s not to say there isn’t room for a female 00 agent. I would love to see a different film within the same universe. That said, EON Productions are making a rare departure from Bond with The Rhythm Section due for release early next year, before No Time To Die. Based on Mark Burnell novel of the same name the film promises to be a more gritty and realistic take on the genre. Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick an accidental/reluctant spy. The film has an estimated $50 million budget, as a new property, this is considered a big risk, Bond 25 however cost five times that and will be expecting to smash $1billion in ticket sales. I hope the film does well for two reasons, the second book is the best in the series, I would love it to see it adapted. Secondly it would help the idea of a female 00. 
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