Next James Bond actor pick by director Danny Boyle revealed as he teases 28 Years Later 3

Danny Boyle may not have directed a James Bond film (yet), after he was originally set to helm No Time to Die but left the project due to creative differences – however, that hasn't stopped him from weighing in who should play the iconic spy.

As reported by Variety, Boyle was speaking at the Zurich Film Festival when he gave his personal pick for Bond, choosing the star of his latest movie, Ink.

"They should cast Jack O’Connell as Bond," Boyle said.

Boyle also worked with O'Connell on 28 Years Later, with the SAS Rogue Heroes star popping up in the final moments of that film, before giving a villainous turn in the Nia Da Costa helmed sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

While speaking at the festival in Zurich, Boyle also confirmed once more that the third instalment of the 28 Years Later series "will get made because people keep asking about it".

The first two 28 Years films were shot back to back, while the third's production was always said to be dependent on the first two.

It was reported to have been greenlit just before The Bone Temple was released, but that film went on to underperform at the box office, seemingly throwing the production into doubt.

Now however, while Boyle has said that he's not sure "quite when" the film will be made, he has confirmed that "there’s a script – a very good script by Alex Garland" and it will have "a lot of Cillian Murphy in it".

"Whether he’ll take his kit off anymore, that I don’t know," Boyle joked. "He’s got the Oscar now."

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Boyle's new film, Ink, stars O'Connell as The Sun editor Larry Lamb, and charts its rise after it was bought by Rupert Murdoch. It is written by James Graham, who adapted it from his own play of the same name.

While Boyle may be rooting for O'Connell to play Bond, it's actually another of his SAS Rogue Heroes co-stars who is apparently in the running.

It was reported in August that Jack Barton, who stars in the World War Two drama which just happens to come from the writer of the next Bond film, Murphy's Peaky Blinders collaborator Steven Knight, has impressed casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve the most so far in the process.

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Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.