Hugh Jackman Would ‘Seriously Consider’ Playing James Bond

With Daniel Craig primed to exit the James Bond franchise after Spectre (or so he keeps saying), there have been a lot of rumors and speculation about who might fill 007's dapper shoes. Idris Elba has notably inspired a lot of vocal support from fans eager to see the Bond series diversify its leading men, but there’s another actor who’d be happy to throw his hat in the ring: Hugh Jackman.

Jackman, who is preparing to end his run as another iconic character when The Wolverine 2 hits theaters in 2017, reveals that he was once asked to play James Bond before Daniel Craig signed on. In an interview with Australian TV series The Program (via THR), Jackman said that the producers of the Bond series asked him to play the famous agent years ago, but he turned it down:

At the time, I was just about to do X-Men 2, and I was like, ‘Ah, I don’t think it’s the right time.’

The actor has played Wolverine more times than Craig has played Bond in the time since then, and with Jackman’s exit from the X-Men franchise imminent, he now has a bit more time to pursue other roles. Would he play James Bond if they asked him now? Jackman says “I’d seriously consider it.”

Jackman is 46 years old now, while Craig is 47, and as many have pointed out, the latter is aging out of the James Bond role — which means Jackman is a bit too old to dedicate himself to another franchise, especially one that would require more commitment and longer production schedules. By the time Jackman would play Bond — if he were chosen — he would be pushing 50.

It won’t happen, but it’s an interesting thought.