Tom Holland once pitched James Bond origin story but it got rejected

The search for the next James Bond, following Daniel Craig’s exit after No Time to Die, will begin later this year.

Before Daniel Craig, the Bond franchise never had to deal with the superspy's end. All the previous demises were usually fakeouts and 007 would eventually return. Craig's Bond is different since he existed in a rebooted continuity that began with how James gained his license to kill and 007 number.

Speaking to Variety, Craig explained why he was pleased with James Bond's death in No Time To Die. The actor said that 007's demise had ‘weight’ and ‘tragedy’, and he's correct that Bond choosing to die so that his love and his daughter could live, was a heartbreaking but heroic way for 007 to go out.

As Craig noted, at the end of No Time To Die's credits, it says, ‘James Bond Will Return’, although it won't be his version of 007 who will grace the silver screen next.

Now that Craig has bowed out of the series, the stars that top the bookies' odds with genuine chance of replacing Craig include Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill and Regé-Jean Page who shot to fame after Netflix’s hit Bridgerton.

Interestingly, Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland has also pitched a James Bond story, but an origin one that got rejected by the studio. "I had a meeting after or during Spider-Man 2 [Far From Home] with Sony to pitch this idea of a young Bond film that I'd come up with. It was the origin story of James Bond," Holland told Total Film. "It didn't really make sense. It didn't work. It was the dream of a young kid, and I don't think the Bond estate were particularly interested."

He continued, "The idea of a young Bond film sparked this idea, in turn, that you could do a Nathan Drake story as an origin story, rather than as an addition to the games. And that opened a conversation."

Back in 2005, Craig wasn’t as well known when he was first roped in to play James Bond. He may be an A-lister and superstar today, but back then in his mid-thirties, he was simply a guy who starred in Layer Cake. This proves all the more on why the upcoming rising stars of Hollywood have a fair chance to land the role of James Bond following Craig’s era.

Also Read: Tom Holland to serve as executive producer and star in Apple TV+ anthology series The Crowded Room