Surprise frontrunner emerges as potential next James Bond as producers ‘love him’

He is said to have nailed his screen test for the role.

An actor you may not have previously considered to don the famous 007 tuxedo has been named as a new potential frontrunner to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 32, has been touted as a leading favourite to take over as the lead in the famous spy franchise after reportedly taking part in a screen test. Even though he's done more than 30 movies, it could be argued that Taylor-Johnson isn't quite as big a household name as, say, the likes of Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and even our own Cillian Murphy – all of whom have been tipped for the role at one point or another.. Recently, Aaron was in Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt. He also been in the Kick-Ass films, Tenet, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Godzilla. A source reportedly revealed that the actor had impressed Bond boss, Barbara Broccoli, during his trial, which took place at Pinewood Studios. One insider told The Sun: “Aaron went for a screen test to be the next Bond in September and producers and Barbara loved him. "He is now one of the frontrunners.” The film’s producers have also reportedly said that they are looking for a younger Bond, someone in their 30s. That knocks some of the other favourites out of contention. Hardy is 45. Elba, 50. [caption id="attachment_368686" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Bullet Train[/caption] Johnson's career debut was in TV series Armadillo in 2001. He then went on to star in other shows such as The Bill and Casualty. He starred in the 2009 film, Nowhere Boy, a biopic about John Lennon and went on to marry the film’s director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, 55. The popular actor has recently been filming action movie The Fall Guy - an adaptation of the TV series of the same name - alongside Ryan Gosling.