Regé-Jean Page addresses huge James Bond rumour at Black Bag screening in London
Former Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page has been tipped as a 007 frontrunner for months – and he’s now addressed it directly.
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IN LONDON
For more than five years, it’s been one of the biggest questions swirling around Hollywood: who will be the next James Bond?
The previous 007, Daniel Craig, confirmed in late 2019 he was finishing up after 15 years and five films, leading to frenzied speculation about who was tipped to replace him.
One name that’s doggedly stayed at the top of the pile is former Bridgerton leading man, British actor Regé-Jean Page – and far from quietening the buzz, his latest role in Black Bag is about to ignite it further.
Page, who plays the suave Col. James Stokes in the Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender-led spy thriller, joins an ensemble cast which also includes an actual former Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, as well as franchise regular, Naomie Harris (AKA Eve Moneypenny).
Speaking to news.com.au on the red carpet at Black Bag’s London special screening, Page admitted it did seem deliberate.
“I think the joy of those hints is that [director] Steven [Soderbergh]’s always playing games within games,” he explained.
“I think Steven’s done that on purpose. He’s brought Pierce [Brosnan] in because he’s spy adjacent, he’s brought Michael [Fassbender] in because he’s spy adjacent, he’s brought Naomie [Harris] … and he’s brought myself in because there’s a certain narrative around me. Page added: “That’s all part of the fun of this movie.”
Black Bag tells the story of intelligence agent George Woodhouse, who is faced with the ultimate test when his wife, Kathryn – who is in the same field – is suspected of committing treason and he is assigned to investigate her. As the stakes get higher, he is forced to choose between faithfulness to his marriage – or loyalty to his country.
As well as weaving in his “games”, Soderbergh famously prefers not to do rehearsals on his film sets – and with an all-star cast in lengthy, dialogue and action-heavy scenes, this understandably added a fair bit of pressure to the actors.
Actress Naomie Harris – who plays Page’s love interest, intelligence agency psychologist, Dr Zoe Vaughan - admitted she was “terrified” of becoming the one to “drop the ball” in the most pivotal moments.
“That was one of the reasons that the dinner party scenes that bookend the movie, that’s why they were so terrifying to film,” she explained.
“Because it was literally like a round of badminton, I was like, ‘am I going to be the one that misses the shot?’”
While Harris is no stranger to the spy genre after appearing in Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021), she said Black Bag was unlike any experience she’d had before.
“It’s very different. Because it’s a real deep dive into the psychological interior of these characters, and it’s about their relationships,” she told news.com.au.
“And there are the explosions and the chases and the things that make it exciting as well … But really, what’s propelling the drama forward is the interior of the characters.”
Black Bag will be in Australian cinemas from Thursday, March 13.
Originally published as Regé-Jean Page addresses huge James Bond rumour at Black Bag screening in London
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