Tom Hiddleston As James Bond Might Actually Happen

He's no stranger to franchise action films, having risen to international prominence as Marvel's Loki, but could Tom Hiddleston be the next James Bond? In an interview with the Sunday Times on Sunday, the actor described himself as "a huge fan" of the Bond series, declaring, "I simply love the theme tune, the tropes and the mythology. I love the whole thing." And then he added this bit of goodness: "If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity... and I’m very aware of the physicality of the job. I would not take it lightly.” Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like Hiddleston is finally hitting the campaign trail to become our next Bond. How great is that?!

Over the past few months, the actor has been dropping some other not-so-subtle hints declaring his love for the franchise and his interest in being the next 007. "In an entirely hypothetical situation… Of course it would be… That would be such a huge,” he told the BBC last fall about potentially playing Bond. "I think I would enjoy the experience.” Add in Hiddleston's performance as the title role in the upcoming BBC adaptation of John le Carre's The Night Manager, which called for Bond-esque levels of physicality in addition to the donning of a dapper suit, and it's clear that playing the legendary agent could definitely be in the actor's future.

However, it's far from certain. Even if he were gunning for the role, Hiddleston’s shooting schedule is booked through 2017, if his IMDb page is any indication. He is already shooting the action-packed Kong: Skull Island, to be released next year, and he's set to reprise his role as Loki in Thor: Ragnarok. Plus, there's no guarantee that Hiddleston is even the studio's first choice; there's always reigning Bond Daniel Craig, whose IMDB page lists a rumored announcement of a 25th Bond installment, and last month The Independent reported that "a decision on whether Craig will return as Bond has not been reached."

And there are other candidates, as well. Among the leading men on the short list to assume the iconic role are Tom Hardy, Damian Lewis, Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba, at least judging from all the speculation that's happened these past few months. While Hiddleston's name hasn't been touted in the press as much as the others, his candidacy is coming from his own self-promotion (and almost assuredly, his larger-than-life fanbase). If the actor really is in the running to be the next Bond, you know that his many eager fans will do everything in their power to help him claim the part.