Perfect Casting: Jacob Elordi James Bond rumours and Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft
Is Jacob Elordi the right James Bond? Breaking down the Bond rumours, Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft, and why casting really matters.
Hello guys, and welcome back to The EDit!
This week is going to be a little bit different. I’ve been thinking about casting, what with all the recent James Bond casting rumours that have been making the rounds. It got me thinking about how important — no, vital — the whole casting process is when it comes to cinema, Hollywood and especially big franchises.
The whole James Bond casting process is a very good example of this. In order for the franchise to remain relevant, Amazon (now proud owners of the franchise) need to get their 007 casting spot on.
So, without any further ado, let’s talk about 007 casting and just casting in general.
The name’s Elordi, Jacob Elordi…
So, the big RUMOUR this week is that Jacob Elordi has met with Denis Villeneuve to play 007 in his upcoming James Bond movie. This is a rumour, by the way — nothing has been confirmed… yet…
But I really do think this would be excellent casting.
OK, I know that Elordi isn’t British, but he’s an Aussie, and that’s about as close as you can get without actually being British. I would also argue that one of the most underrated Bond actors of all time was an Aussie. I’m talking specifically about George Lazenby, who played 007 in my favourite Bond movie of all time, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
He unfortunately only got to play Bond once, but many accounts claim that was his decision — not the studio’s — who offered him more money than any other actor had ever been offered at the time to come back and play the British secret agent on multiple occasions.
Lazenby turned the studio down, and I honestly think that if he had played Bond more than once, people would look back on his take as 007 with more positivity than they do today.
Anyway, that’s enough of me banging on about how much I love George Lazenby’s Bond.
I actually think that Jacob Elordi has all the tools necessary to deliver one of the best portrayals of 007 we’ve ever seen on the big screen.
He’s got the looks, charm, charisma, physicality and acting chops needed to play the role. And even though Elordi comes from the land Down Under, he’s demonstrated in the likes of Saltburn that he’s very good at pulling off a flawless British accent.
Elordi is best, better than all the rest…
I also think that, given the other actors Amazon has reportedly been considering for the role, Elordi is quite literally head and shoulders above the competition.
It’s been reported that Amazon was looking at the likes of Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi and Harris Dickinson to play the role. I actually think that Dickinson would have been the best choice out of those three. However, I do think his incredibly busy schedule and interest in directing might have ruled him out of the running for 007.
Tom Holland would have been a disaster, in my opinion. I think he’s an excellent actor, but he’s just very, very wrong for Bond. You need an actor with gravitas to play the role, and I think Holland just looks too young — and that’s something he can’t really change, unfortunately.
I know he’s been desperate to play the role, but he’s far better suited to something like Spider-Man rather than James Bond. It’s just one of those things.
All in all, I think that should Amazon go with Elordi, the James Bond franchise will be in very capable hands. Elordi has the sex appeal they need to get people interested in Bond again. He would make 007 sexy again, and I really think he’d be a big box office draw.
I also think he would take the role seriously, which is important. The reason the Daniel Craig Bond movies kept doing so well at the box office was because he took the role seriously. I think Jacob Elordi would be the same in that respect.
I also think he’d give the character a much-needed youthfulness and reinvigorate the franchise — which is exactly why casting is vital. This would be an adrenaline shot in the arm for the Bond franchise, and I genuinely can’t wait to see what happens.
Sophie Turner is Lara Croft
All of this brings me to Sophie Turner, who has been cast as Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider series from Amazon.
There was a point in time when I truly believed this series was doomed. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was writing the show and was supposedly going to star in it. This was back when she signed that ludicrous “first-look” deal with Amazon and has, so far, delivered literally nothing.
Waller-Bridge is still listed as the “developer and showrunner” of the upcoming Tomb Raider series, and it seems as though she might have had a role in casting Sophie Turner — which I think is an incredible bit of casting.
Turner recently posted a photo of herself in her Lara Croft get-up after a costume fitting, and I thought she looked incredible. She reminded me much more of the original video game character — but updated.
I loved Alicia Vikander’s take on the character, which was more in keeping with the recent Tomb Raider video games, but there was still something missing from that film. I think you need a little bit of nostalgia for the original games, and I truly believe that Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft is going to toe that line perfectly.
I really loved the look — especially the cool orange sunglasses. I also love the fact she’s going to be wearing the shorts again, which is just quintessential Lara Croft.
You can also tell that Turner has taken this role seriously by how much time she’s clearly spent in the gym beforehand. She’s in incredible shape, which is very much needed to play a character like Lara Croft properly.
I think this is another case of a studio (Amazon, in both instances here) absolutely nailing the casting. In my mind, this will result in a successful series once it’s released on Prime Video.
There’s no release date for the Tomb Raider series yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it lands in late 2027.
Stream or skip…?
Right, that’s enough of me banging on about casting, James Bond and Lara Croft.
It’s time for Stream or Skip.
Evil — Seasons 1 to 4
NOW
I’ve been having the best time bingeing Evil on NOW. This might go down as one of my favourite shows of the year. It didn’t come out this year — the fourth and final season was released back in 2024 — and I’ve only just discovered it.
I downloaded all four seasons via the NOW app on my iPad for a long-haul flight recently, and it completely stopped me from sleeping, resulting in some serious jet lag when I got home.
If you like all things creepy, spiritual, spooky and thoroughly engrossing, then this is absolutely the show for you.
A special shout-out has to go to Mike Colter, who’s brilliant in this series.
Verdict: Stream it — it’s a real hidden gem.
28 Years Later
NOW
I didn’t catch 28 Years Later until recently, and I really missed out. Danny Boyle is back doing what Danny Boyle does best.
The film is tense, scary, thought-provoking and brilliantly expands the world Boyle created with 28 Days Later.
It’s made me very excited to check out the latest film in the franchise, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
I’ve also got to mention Ralph Fiennes’ performance, which is genuinely sensational.
Verdict: Stream it — I think it’s going to be a classic.
Quote of the week
“Bond, James Bond.”
— James Bond, Dr. No
I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of The EDit.
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Have a lovely week, and all the best,
Edward
P.S. Would Jacob Elordi make a good James Bond — and are you sold on Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, or not yet?
I'd love to get your thoughts on Jacob Elordi potentially being cast as James Bond and Sophie Turner's Lara Croft casting! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!