Dwayne Johnson has said he wants to play the next James Bond.
"Yes, my grandfather was a Bond villain in You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery," Johnson told Esquire. "[It] was very, very cool. And I would like to follow in his footsteps and be the next Bond. I don't want to be a villain. Got to be Bond."
Johnson's grandfather, Peter Fanene Maivia, appeared in the 1967 film as a SPECTRE henchman, and went head to head with Connery's Bond in a fight that saw him try and take out the agent with a sword.
Daniel Craig hung up his license to kill in No Time to Die, and speculation has been running rampant about who could next be 007 ever since. Johnson throwing his hat into the ring is probably tongue-in-cheek – and while he'd certainly be able to handle the action scenes, he might be ruled out purely because an American actor has never played Bond.
Johnson is about to enter another huge franchise, though. He's starring as Black Adam in the upcoming film of the same name, which got its first look at DC FanDome. A former Bond also appears in the film – Pierce Brosnan plays Doctor Fate.
"That a wrap on BLACK ADAM. Incredible journey," Johnson said to mark the end of filming. "Hardest undertaking of my entire career physically & mentally. Worth every second. Boundless gratitude to my 1,000+ crew members, actors and director, Jaume Collet-Serra. The hierarchy of power in DC Universe is changing."
Black Adam releases July 29, 2022. Johnson can currently be seen in Red Notice, starring opposite Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. If you're all caught up on the Netflix movie, check out our conversation with director Rawson Marshall Thurber.
