Film lovers can be hard-pressed to discover a film function that comes with as a lot strain, drama, and, oh yeah, controversy as James Bond. Most of the people continues to be ready on pins and needles to see who formally takes the torch from the irreplaceable Daniel Craig, with rumors strongly pointing to “Kraven the Hunter” star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the subsequent man as much as inherit the mantle. (It is okay, Craig appears simply tremendous utilizing his clout to star in motion pictures like “Queer,” “Wake Up Lifeless Man,” and, bizarrely sufficient, a “Sgt. Rock” adaptation for DC.) So, whereas the way forward for the franchise stays considerably cloudy, what higher time to look again on the previous and contemplate all of the what-ifs that would’ve probably come to fruition?
Bond aficionados will without end obsess over fan-castings like Idris Elba, Dev Patel, and the always-popular Henry Cavill, however this is one twist they most likely did not see coming. None apart from Homelander himself, “The Boys” actor Antony Starr, was as soon as within the operating to play the British superspy with a license to kill in 2006’s “On line casino Royale” — or, on the very least, he made it far sufficient to earn himself a display take a look at for the then-new tackle the well-known character. After all, this is able to finally turn into a a lot youthful, extra hotheaded, and much much less suave model of Bond than audiences had ever seen earlier than. The video that includes Starr, nonetheless, seems like a far cry from Craig’s far much less refined method to the character. The footage was not too long ago uploaded to blogger Ron South’s YouTube web page (by way of Whole Movie), exhibiting off a whopping four-and-a-half minutes from Starr’s authentic audition video going down 20 years in the past and instantly throwing “The Boys” followers right into a tizzy.
Take a look at the total clip under!
Antony Starr’s James Bond audition leaked and the web is freaking out
For anybody who ever wished to listen to Homelander say, “The identify’s Bond … James Bond” earlier than ordering one in every of his distinctive vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred, in fact), that is their fortunate day. Few would argue that Antony Starr wasn’t pitch-perfect casting for the supervillain Homelander, the dead-eyed sociopath who murders and intimidates folks prefer it’s his day job within the Prime Video collection “The Boys.” Nonetheless, it is fairly a shock to see a a lot youthful Starr with brunette hair and a vastly completely different accent try to show up the appeal on his scene companion. As is franchise custom, Starr’s audition tape is definitely a scene from a earlier movie within the franchise — on this case, a scene from 1995’s “GoldenEye” the place Pierce Brosnan’s debonair spy flirts with the femme fatale often called Xenia Onatopp, performed by Famke Janssen.
The audition tape is a uncommon peek at how the sausage is made for the venerable property, revealing what the Broccoli household was closely contemplating on the time for his or her greatest swing but. (When final we heard from sources near the protecting rights holders, producer Barbara Broccoli reportedly had some critical behind-the-scenes drama unfolding between her household and Amazon Studios.) Right here, Starr delivers alternate takes on sure traces, redoes all the scene from the highest, and in any other case makes an attempt to channel one of the beloved Bond actors of all of them. None of it even remotely resembles Craig’s future casting, in fact, and that is most likely a strong indicator of why this explicit audition apparently went no additional.
The tape rapidly made its strategy to Reddit, the place each Bond fanatics and “The Boys” followers joined forces to touch upon what may need been. Opinions appear cut up over whether or not Starr would’ve made a worthy James Bond or not, however it’s clear that issues finally labored out for the perfect. Starr will subsequent be seen within the fifth and remaining season of “The Boys,” which debuts on Prime Video someday in 2026.