Robbie Williams: ‘I’m officially removing myself from the running to be the next Bond'
Former Take That star Robbie Williams has officially bowed out of playing James Bond, putting decades of playful speculation to rest.
Robbie Williams has officially taken himself out of the "running to be the next James Bond."
Speculation around Williams joining the franchise has been floating around for years, but resurfaced again following Daniel Craig’s departure from the long-running film series after No Time To Die (2021).
The rumours originally started after Robbie parodied 007 in his music video for the tongue-in-cheek 1998 hit Millennium, which paid homage to classic Bond films like From Russia with Love and Thunderball.
Poking fun at the renewed speculation, the former Take That star posted on X earlier this week. Putting the rumours to rest, he wrote: “I appreciate the interest but I'm officially removing myself from the running to be the next Bond. Thank you for your understanding.”
Robbie, 51, previously dismissed the idea in 2003, after then-Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams and producer Barbara Broccoli reportedly attended one of his performances at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
He said during a press conference in Japan at the time: “The makers of the franchise did not want me to play Bond. I did the Millennium video as a pastiche of James Bond and I left it there.”
He also admitted his idea of Bond may not fit today’s standards, adding: “I love James Bond but I preferred him when he was sexist and he can’t be now because everything is so PC [politically correct].”
While Robbie may have ruled himself out of ever stepping into 007’s tux, speculation around the next James Bond continues, not just in terms of casting, but also the franchise’s iconic theme song.
Lana Del Rey recently sparked fresh rumours she could be behind the next Bond track, after fans spotted the Video Games hitmaker had registered a new song titled First Light with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The title matches the name of the upcoming 007: First Light video game, due in 2026.
Lana previously revealed she submitted her track 24, from her 2015 album Honeymoon, for Spectre, but it was ultimately passed over in favour of Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall.
Over the years, a string of global stars have recorded theme songs for the franchise, including Billie Eilish’s No Time To Die, Adele’s Skyfall, Madonna’s Die Another Day, and Shirley Bassey’s legendary contributions.
But the current frontrunner to record the next Bond anthem is British breakout star Raye.
After a huge 2024 - which saw her sweep six BRIT Awards and score her first UK No. 1 with Escapism - Raye’s odds have surged, making her the bookmakers’ favourite.
She told Metro: “If they called me, you can believe I would be there in a heartbeat. I would pitch as many songs as it took to get the right one that they like. That would be an absolute dream come true.”
Betfred spokesperson Robert Ford added: “The odds suggest that Raye currently has a 57.9 per cent probability of being the next James Bond theme song artist... she certainly has the star power to follow in the footsteps of Billie Eilish, Sam Smith and Adele.”
