Robert Pattinson’s 14-Year-Old James Bond Comments Resurface as He Reportedly Tests for 007

Robert Pattinson might be trading Batman’s cape and cowl for James Bond’s tuxedo, and it turns out the actor has been eyeing the role of 007 for a long time.

Pattinson is reportedly among the actors competing to play James Bond in Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming James Bond reboot for Amazon MGM Studios. According to reports, the actor has already screen tested for the role, and some comments he made 14 years ago are suddenly looking pretty interesting.

Back in 2012, while promoting David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, Pattinson told The Sun that he'd "definitely like to go for Bond" but figured he'd be better suited for the part in another 20 years.

He wasn't interested in Hollywood trying to turn 007 into some fresh-faced pretty boy, either. He said: "There'd be nothing worse than, like, 'Let's get a fresh-faced Bond!' That would be the worst idea in the world. It would be ridiculous to reinvent it as some young posh kid."

Fourteen years later, Pattinson is 40, has built one hell of a career, and is reportedly in serious contention to become the next James Bond. The timing isn't exactly what he predicted, but he's certainly put enough mileage on his career to make a convincing case for the role.

The actor has spent years ditching the teen heartthrob image that made him famous, taking on strange, challenging projects and proving he can handle just about anything Hollywood throws at him.

Between The Batman and his recent performance in the disturbing media satire Primetime, he's shown he can play damaged, unpredictable characters without making them feel like the same guy in a different costume.

That's actually pretty close to what Pattinson had in mind for Bond all those years ago. "After Daniel Craig you have to have some baggage," he explained, referring to Daniel Craig’s gritty reinvention of the character that kicked off with 2006's Casino Royale.

Pattinson then took his idea a little further, saying, "I'd have to be tortured in the first few scenes. I'd have to do the first film with one arm or something."

That's a pretty messed-up way to introduce a new James Bond, but you can see where he's coming from. Craig's version of 007 was a brutal, emotionally battered spy who took a beating almost as often as he handed one out.

Pattinson clearly understood that Bond needed more than a nice suit, expensive cars, and a license to kill. Of course, he's got some serious competition.

Reports also identified Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, and Jack Lowden as finalists for the role. O'Connor has built an impressive career, Turner is known for the Fantastic Beasts films, and Lowden has earned plenty of attention for his work on Slow Horses.

More recent reports have added Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult to the mix, bringing the rumored shortlist to five actors.

At 40, Pattinson is the oldest of the reported contenders, with the others all 36. That's hardly ancient by Bond standards, but it does suggest Amazon MGM isn't looking to turn the franchise into some teenage spy origin story.

The bigger question is what Villeneuve actually wants from his version of 007. After five Craig films, the franchise has an opportunity to try something different. Villeneuve is a fascinating choice to take charge of Bond, and Pattinson could bring a wonderfully strange intensity to the character.

He's already played Batman as a socially awkward, obsessive wreck of a man who happens to beat criminals into the pavement. Watching him bring some of that unpredictable energy to Britain's most famous secret agent could be pretty cool.

Then again, Villeneuve might want to move away from the tortured Bond formula altogether. There's plenty of room to bring back some of the character's old-school charm, arrogance, and dark humor without abandoning the harder edge Craig introduced.

For now, Pattinson's involvement remains a casting rumor, and Amazon MGM hasn't officially announced who will inherit the 007 mantle. With final screen tests reportedly completed, an announcement could be coming soon.

If Pattinson gets the job, it'll be one of Hollywood's more entertaining full-circle casting stories.

Would you like to see Robert Pattinson become the next James Bond, or is there another actor on the shortlist you'd rather see take over as 007?