Secret Agent Speculations

Is this the face of the next cinematic James Bond (see below)? Perhaps, says a press release from the Journalists’ Research Department, which describes itself as “a vibrant newsroom of over 35 in-house members, that find stories in data, trends, in the hidden corners of the internet.” The bulletin adds that the image is “based on an AI [artificial intelligence] interpretation of official casting requirements outlined by Barbara Broccoli,” the producer who, with her half-brother, Michael G. Wilson, currently controls the James Bond film franchise. According to the Web site ScreenRant, this artwork was commissioned by a games company called Unwind Media, and pictures an Agent 007 “under 40 years of age and over 5’10” in height.” Multiple sources have noticed a resemblance between this computer-generated British super-spy and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a 32-year-old English actor (Kick-Ass, Outlaw King, Bullet Train) who has previously been suggested as a candidate to take over from five-time big-screen Bond Daniel Craig. As yet, there is no official word as to who might next be signed to the role created 70 years ago by Ian Fleming for the novel Casino Royale.

READ MORE: “Should the Next 007 Be a Woman?” by M.P. Woodward (Mystery Fanfare).