Another James Bond Casting Rumor — This Time a Redhead!
A few weeks back, Rambling weighed in on the search for the new James Bond, throwing cold water on rumors that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had screen-tested for the part. This week, we’re adding another little-known, hyphenated, triple-named Brit to the competition. And this one might have screen-tested for real.
According to a well-placed source close to the production, Scott Rose-Marsh — a 37-year-old redheaded actor whose biggest credits are Krays: Code of Silence and Wolves of War — was brought in sometime in late June to read sides from 1995’s GoldenEye, presumably for just-hired director Denis Villeneuve. He might also have tackled pages from the script Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is said to be whipping up for Bond 26. Whatever the material, Rambling’s source claims Rose-Marsh was given just one piece of direction before the test cameras rolled: Don’t impersonate a previous Bond.
If Rose-March did indeed test, it torpedoes one widely held theory swirling around the film — that Amazon, which purchased the 007 franchise for a reported $1 billion this year, is looking to reboot with a 20-something Bond to lure younger audiences.
Rose-Marsh’s publicist did not respond to THR‘s request for comment — which, frankly, is the smart move whether or not his client has been mixing martinis — and neither did Amazon. But there is one glaring red flag to his hiring: his hair. There has never been a ginger Bond, and that could be a dealbreaker — remember how Daniel Craig’s blond locks nearly set off an international incident when his casting was announced in 2005?
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This story appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
