Licensed to kvell: Jewish actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumoured to be the new James Bond

Speculation is once again mounting that Jewish actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be the new James Bond. The contract is “on the table” according to The Sun and he is expected to sign by the end of the week.

Taylor-Johnson, 33, who starred as John Lennon in the biopic Nowhere Boy in 2009, is now favourite with the bookmakers to play the role. He was known for the 2015 American superhero film Avengers: Age of Ultron and the fast-paced comedy Bullet Train. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Bafta for his role in Nocturnal Animals.

Taylor-Johnson grew up in High Wycombe. His father was a civil engineer and his mother was a stay-at-home mum who did odd jobs to make ends meet. He met filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood in 2009 on the set of Nowhere Boy – he was 18 and she was 42. They got married in June 2012 and changed their surnames to Taylor-Johnson. They have two daughters and he is the stepfather of her two daughters from a previous marriage.

James Norton, Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Chris Evans have all been mooted as possible contenders for the Bond role after Daniel Craig stepped down in 2021, having made five films over 16 years.