Could soccer star David Beckham be up for the next role as James Bond? Photo / Getty Images
Who should be the next James Bond?
Soccer legend David Beckham, who's biggest role to date is 13 lines in the upcoming movie Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur, is being touted as the next 007.
It all started with an online campaign by his legion of fans.
The London's Daily Star picked-up on the story and then the Daily Mirror took it one step further telling readers the the 40-year-old "is seriously considering" taking over from Daniel Craig.
Current 007 Craig is said, but is yet to confirm, that he wants out of the franchise.
Beckham has not actually said he wants the role either, but it's fair to assume any budding actor would want to be immortalised as the greatest movie spy of all time.
The only problem is Beckham has next to no acting experience and there's several accomplished and respected stars being tipped to be the next Bond well ahead of him.
Not the least is Australian Hugh Jackman who said he was approached to play the role when the producers were looking to recast 007 after Pierce Brosnan's time had expired.
"At the time I was about to do X-Men 2 and I was like 'I don't think it's the right time'," he recently said on Network Ten's The Project.
"It was not an easy one for me to give up.
"Now if Daniel, who is a mate of mine, can't, I'd seriously consider it."
Besides having to beat Jackman for the role, Beckham may have to fight off Homeland star Daniel Lewis or Mad Max: Fury Road's Tom Hardy who are just some names being linked to the role.
Then of course there's Idris Elba whose name was in a secret email from then Sony Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal that was leaked during the hacking of the studio's servers in December.
Elba dismissed reports he would be first black Bond.
"Honestly, it's a rumour that's really starting to eat itself," Elba told The Hollywood Reporter. "If there was ever any chance of me getting Bond, it's gone."
So the UK reports are bending their Bond stories like Beckham and maybe the best the soccer great can do, is net a role as a villain or the evil doers sidekick.
- AAP
The Australian site cited a 'heightened threat level' as the issue.