James Bond: Dwayne Johnson says he wants to be the next star to play 007

Can you smell what James Bond is cooking? Dwayne Johnson certainly can. The epitome of Hollywood celebrity, the action star has put his name forward as a potential successor to Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007. Johnson has already bandied about the potential to run for President of the United States, so why not take on Her Majesty’s Secret Service as well?

While some fans have embraced color-blind casting when it comes to the next James Bond with Idris Elba and Regé-Jean Page regularly mentioned as potential casting choices, what many would not be okay with would be an American sliding into the traditionally British character.

Recently while speaking with Esquire, Johnson dropped a not-so-subtle hint that he’d like to take on the mantle of James Bond.

“My grandfather [Peter Maivia] was a Bond villain in You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery. Very, very cool,” the Red Notice star revealed. “I would like to follow in his footsteps and be the next Bond. I don’t want to be a villain. Gotta be Bond.”

While Johnson’s reason for wanting to suit up as Bond is commendable and sweet, I simply cannot see him in the role. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Dwayne Johnson as much as the next person, but I’m not sure that he has the range to play the British super spy. I welcome the opportunity to be proven wrong, but again, I’m not sure that the part will go to a non-British actor.

In recent Rock-related news, Dwayne Johnson’s new feature Red Notice recently made Netflix history after being watched in 4.2 million U.S. households in its first weekend. The numbers were reported by Samba TV, who measures analytics for platforms like Netflix and other streaming services.

Logic dictates that a Bond movie starring Dwayne Johnson would draw a lot of dollars, but at what cost to the traditional 007 formula? Would Bond fans embrace Johnson as the franchise’s new hero or revolt at the thought of 007 looking into the camera while raising The People’s Eyebrow?