Tom Hardy The Next James Bond After Daniel Craig? 'Venom' Star Addresses Rumors

Tom Hardy has addressed the rumors suggesting he could be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig.

Rumors have been swirling about who will take over the role of Bond as Craig makes his fifth and final appearance as the British spy in the upcoming film "No Time to Die." Among the actors speculated to become the next Agent 007 is Hardy, but he is staying mum on the rumors for now.

"I don't know about that," Hardy told Entertainment Tonight when asked about playing Bond during a junket for his upcoming movie, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," which hits theaters Oct. 1.

While he hasn't confirmed or denied the rumor, Hardy already has a supporter in his co-star Naomie Harris, who has played Moneypenny to Craig's Bond since 2012's "Skyfall."

"He would be amazing," Harris told ET of Hardy. "He's such a phenomenal actor. I'm such a huge fan of his and then working with him on Venom, I have even more respect for him. He's just like, incredible, the physicality that he brings to the role is just extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it."

Craig played 007 for 15 years. His first Bond movie, "Casino Royale," was released in 2006, and it was followed by "Quantum of Solace" in 2008, "Skyfall" in 2012, "Spectre" in 2015 and "No Time to Die," which held its world premiere in London Tuesday.

In a recent interview with Edith Bowman for his BAFTA: Life in Pictures event, Craig revealed that he almost turned down the role that would change his life.

"I just said I can’t, I mean; I think you got the wrong guy. People used to say, ‘Oh you must have always wanted to be James Bond.’ I went well, yeah, as a kid I kind of thought about it. I wanted to be Spiderman as well, but I just thought it was never going to happen," he said.

In a recent appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Craig shared that he thought "Spectre" would be his last 007 film and was glad that he was able to wrap up his era as James Bond with one last movie.

"I thought that was it. And I’m really, really happy that I was given the opportunity to come back and do ['No Time to Die']," he said, "because we’ve sort of wrapped up a lot of the stories. And just a chance to come do one more was wonderful."

"No Time to Die" has been receiving mostly positive reviews from film critics, with a number saying that it was the perfect ending for Craig's stint as the British spy.

"'No Time to Die' is a solid Bond film – not on the level of 'Casino Royale'/'Skyfall,' but also vastly superior to 'Quantum of Solace'/'Spectre'. The plot is messy, but the action is top notch, there are some impressive surprises packed in, and it brings a satisfying end to the Craig era," tweeted CinemaBlend's movie review manager and senior film critic Eric Eisenberg.

"No Time to Die" was filmed in 2019, and its release date was pushed back several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is set to premiere on Oct. 8.