Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson mentioned in a new interview that he would love to step into the role of James Bond if given the chance.
"Yes, my grandfather was a Bond villain in You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery," Johnson shared during a Q&A with Esquire. Johnson added that he'd like to follow in his grandfather's footsteps, but that he would rather star as the next Agent 007, saying, "I don't want to be a villain. Got to be Bond."
Released in 1967, You Only Live Twice finds Connery's version of the iconic MI6 operative traveling to Tokyo after having faked his own death in Hong Kong and allegedly being buried at sea from HMS Tenby. Upon his arrival, Bond is tasked with figuring out who hijacked NASA's Jupiter 16 spacecraft. Johnson's grandfather Peter Maivia is credited in the film for portraying a villainous car driver.
Fans of the Bond films will recall that the latest franchise star, Daniel Craig, recently wrapped up his five-film tenure as Agent 007 in No Time to Die. While Craig's predecessor has yet to be chosen, Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie recently said he thinks English actor Henry Cavill would "make an excellent Bond." McQuarrie directed Cavill in 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
Director Matthew Vaughn, who worked with Cavill on the upcoming Apple TV+ spy drama Argylle, also recently showed his support for Cavill being the next Bond. "I needed someone who was born to play Bond -- which Henry is -- and then nick him before Bond did," Vaughn recalled about casting the actor. "He plays a larger-than-life action hero with a wink."
In addition to the Bond rumors, Cavill has been deemed the fan-favorite to portray Captain Britain -- the British equivalent of Captain America -- in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While Marvel Studios has yet to comment on that potential casting, the former Superman actor showed interest in the part last week, saying at the time, "I have seen the various rumors about Captain Britain, and that would be loads of fun to do a cool, modernized version of that -- like the way they modernized Captain America. There's something fun about that, and I do love being British."
Johnson can currently be seen starring opposite Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in Red Notice, which is streaming now on Netflix. Meanwhile, Cavill is set to return as Geralt of Rivia in Season 2 of The Witcher, which debuts on Netflix on Dec. 17.