Glen Powell Will Never Play James Bond For An Extremely Obvious Reason

It was announced in February 2025 that Amazon was to be given complete creative control over the James Bond film franchise. The Cold War-era spy caper series, based on the novels by Ian Fleming, had previously been closely protected by the members of the Broccoli family, who made sure that James Bond movies were made in (what they deemed to be) the proper fashion since 1962. Now that Amazon has creative control, the 007 series will certainly begin to look a lot different; one might wonder if evil billionaires will still be the villains in James Bond movies now that Jeff Bezos, himself an unscrupulous billionaire, is in charge of it. The politics of resurrecting James Bond in the mid-2020s is going to be fraught, and one will have to tread carefully if they want the character to remain relevant. 

What we know for sure is that Amazon will be making another James Bond movie as soon as time permits, and the mad dash to cast a new actor in the role is currently underway. We also know that speculating about which actor will play the next James Bond is a marvelous game for fans. As of this writing, most everyone likely has a preferred Bond in mind, from Tom Holland to Idris Elba. I'd like to see Lashana Lynch, personally. 

Some fans have floated the idea that the dazzling Glen Powell should play James Bond. He's proven chameleonic in Richard Linklater's 2023 film "Hit Man," and proven a box office draw in films like "Twisters" and "Someone Like You." Powell has an ineffable movie star quality that he could easily massage into the unflappable British cool that 007 possesses. 

Powell, however, went on record in the Hollywood Reporter recently to put the kibosh on those speculations. He has said definitively that he will not be playing James Bond. Mainly because he's from Texas, and he feels that a British actor should play the British character. 

Specifically, Powell said: 

"I'm Texan. A Texan should not play James Bond. [...] My family and I joke around, I can play Jimmy Bond, but I should not be playing James Bond. Get an authentic Brit for that job. That's who belongs in that tuxedo."

Powell's comment about Jimmy Bond may be an allusion to the 1954 episode of the American TV series "Climax!" that adapted Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" to the small screen. That TV episode featured a very American 007 named Jimmy Bond, played by Barry Nelson. Since then, no Americans have played James Bond, and some fans would feel an American Bond would be offensive; as Powell feels, the character should be an authentic Brit. 

It should further be noted, though, that not every James Bond actor has been an "authentic Brit." Sean Connery, who has played James Bond in seven movies, was a Scottish man born in Edinburgh. David Niven, who played the character in 1967's "Casino Royale," a wild, comedic riff on James Bond, was indeed British; born in London. That film, however, features many characters taking on the mantle of James Bond, including Peter Sellers (British), Joanna Pettit (Canadian), Dalia Lavi (Israeli), Woody Allen (American), and Barbara Bouchet (Italian-German). George Lazenby played Bond in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," and he's an Australian born in Goulburn. 

Roger Moore was born in London, making him the second Brit to tackle the role, but his successor, Timothy Dalton, was born in Wales. And '90s-era James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, was born in Ireland. Daniel Craig, who ended his tenure with the role in 2021, is one of only a few Brits to play the part, having been born in Cheshire. 

While the character does hail from England, the actors hail from across the Isles and all over the world. Powell may not want to play the part, but there's no reason a Texan shouldn't play the role if he's convincing enough.