London, 26 March

Former James Bond star George Lazenby has given his thumbs up to Aaron Taylor-Johnson to take over the role of the iconic spy, amid reports that he is the latest actor to be offered the part.

Since the last Bond Daniel Craig announced his exit from the franchise after five outings as Agent 007 — the last being 2021’s No Time to Die — there has been speculation over which actor will be named his successor.

George Lazenby, who played Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, has commented on reports of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s casting.

According to TMZ, the 84-year-old actor said Taylor-Johnson, 33, would be able to “handle the stunts and all the ladies who love a man in a tux”. In the interview, Lazenby opened up about the selection process for the Bond role back in the 1960s, saying he went through “a bunch of different tests and auditions” before he landed the role.

He also said he supports Taylor-Johnson as Agent 007 “as long as they do the character justice”, and advised the actor “to be true to himself and reinvent the role to fit him”.

Bond producers have not commented on the Taylor-Johnson rumours.

In the past, actors such as Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Luke Evans, Richard Madden, Rege-Jean Page, Theo James and Henry Golding have been rumoured to be the next 007.

Recently, Pierce Brosnan, another former James Bond star, said Oscar winner Cillian Murphy would be perfect to play the iconic spy.