Tom Hardy may seem perfect for playing James Bond, but this one movie begs to differ otherwise.
Of all the contenders to play James Bond next, many would argue that Tom Hardy is effortlessly one of the best choices ever. His wit, charming demeanor, and overall personality make him stand out among everyone else and seem like the perfect choice to embody the peerless spy. Plus, he’s British, so that checks out another box of requirements for the character.
However, even after all these similarities, one thing still stands in the way between everyone deeming him to be the perfect choice for this role. This one thing is his 12-year-old $156 million box office disaster with Chris Pine, This Means War, which featured him as a CIA agent but failed to garner many appraisals for Hardy in the role because of his lackluster performance.
This Means War Poses a Barrier to Tom Hardy Becoming the Ultimate James Bond
When considering all the on-paper qualities that an actor requires to play the British secret agent 007, Tom Hardy unarguably has almost all of those, and his performance in his previous action blockbusters like Legend and Mad Max: Fury Road proves his worth in the spy-thriller genre.
However, almost all of it deems him perfect except for one: His 2012 critically-panned movie, This Means War.
Starring alongside Chris Pine, Hardy played the role of a CIA agent named Tuck Hansen in this spy-rom-com, who falls in love with the same woman as his partner and Pine’s character Franklin. Thus, to win her over, both of them try to woo her with their own respective skills.
Needless to say, Pine ends up triumphant in the end as Lauren Scott (played by Reese Witherspoon) chooses him over Hardy’s Tuck. This means that Hardy was playing the second lead who was supposed to end up winning all the fans’ hearts instead of winning the heroine.
However, as the unfortunate turn of events panned out because of Hardy’s lackluster performance in the role (probably because of the lines written for him), that was hardly the case.
As a majority of the fans couldn’t help but notice, the Venom actor didn’t possess the wry charismatic demeanor at the time, which is a much-needed factor in the boxes of requirements to play Bond. This was why he ostensibly felt like he was miscast into the role.
Then there were all the brutally critical reviews that the movie fared because of how its quips fell short of perfection, ceasing to amuse critics worldwide. Adding to this was the film’s box office gross, which stood at only $156 million on a production budget of $65 million (via The Numbers).
All of this being said, the film proved that the campy charisma that a Bond actor needs wasn’t something Hardy could excel at the time, resulting in him sounding like a miscast for the role.
Other Reasons Why Tom Hardy Probably Wouldn’t Get Cast as James Bond
Besides This Means War, other reasons why Hardy probably wouldn’t score the role of Agent 007 include the fact that he is already a well-known A-lister in the industry, and the producers usually opt for a bit more lesser-known actors.
This was evident in Daniel Craig‘s case as well, considering how he pretty much gained international fame after playing James Bond in Casino Royale.
Then there’s the fact that the Peaky Blinders actor is already leading a pretty packed schedule considering his involvement with his blockbuster Venom and Mad Max franchises, and starring in a Bond film usually requires an availability contract for three to four movies.
But then again, not all options are closed, and it is worth noting that Hardy has come a very long way since 2012 and has grown tremendously as an actor as well. That being said, giving him a chance once again to play a spy could result in something much better than before.
Plus, he has already proven his pure brilliance in darker roles like the one in The Dark Knight Rises and his other action masterpieces like Legend, Warrior, Bronson, and The Revenant, so if they’re looking for a darker take on Bond, then none could embody him more exceptionally than Hardy.
