James Bond Rumor: Tom Hiddleston is Reportedly in Talks To Play The Next 007

Earlier this morning, we wrote about the news that Fantastic Four star Jamie Bell has had conversations with producer Barbara Broccoli about possibly becoming the next James Bond. But now BirthMoviesDeath is confirming what has, until now, only been tabloid speculation: Tom Hiddleston has also had conversations with Eon Productions about taking over as the next 007 and is in "advanced talks" to do just that.

The outlet's sources were careful to point out that these were just conversations and though Hiddleston wants the job, an official offer has not been made to him yet. BMD cautions that meeting with other actors publicly could be a game on the part of Eon, trying to lure Daniel Craig back for one more go-around as Bond. Despite many rumors, the current 007 hasn't officially bailed on the franchise at this point, but let's put it this way — I wouldn't be surprised if he's fired his Walther PPK for the last time.

I can easily see Hiddleston as the new Bond, and if you've been watching AMC lately, you may have seen him in a quasi-audition for the role in a spy thriller called The Night Manager. I had to give up on that series halfway into its six-episode run because the pacing was just too slow for me, but he undoubtedly showed a lot of promise as a spy. The question is: what kind of Bond would Eon want him to be? After the rough and tumble Craig (similar to Sean Connery in that regard), will the pendulum swing back toward suave and goofy, like the Roger Moore era? The thing about Hiddleston is he's versatile enough to be able to play Bond as a deranged psychopath, one-liner dropping ladies' man, or anything in between, so I hope these talks turn into an official announcement of him scoring the part.