Cillian Murphy favourite to play James Bond: report

Fans of Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy were ecstatic after reports of him being the favourite to play the British spy James Bond in the live adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novels made rounds.

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The actor had a stellar 2023 thanks to this superb performance in Christopher Nolan-directed ‘Oppenheimer‘. His portrayal of the American scientist-turned-“father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic was met with critical acclaim.

His performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor at the 2024 Academy Awards.

However, the actor has been proving his mettle over the time. He was praised for his performances in ‘Peaky Blinders,’ ‘Red Eye,’ ‘28 Days Later,’ and ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley‘.

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The UK news agency Metro quoted a source claiming that his performances caught the eye of the James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, and he is one of the frontrunners to land the role.

“This is a way to elevate the Bond franchise with an actor who is at the very top of his game,” the source said.

Clay Bunker, who shared the screen with Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer, said the latter would ‘fare beautifully’ in the role.

It is pertinent to mention that Christopher Nolan said one of his cast members could be the perfect choice to play James Bond and it would be an “amazing privilege” to direct a 007 flick.

The ‘Dark Knight‘ director was approached to direct the follow-ups of ‘Skyfall.’ However, the projects were made by filmmaker Sam Mendes.