Yesterday may have been Easter Sunday but, unbeknownst to many, it was also April Fool’s Day.
Movie fans were shocked and surprised to hear that Daniel Craig had pulled out of the next James Bond movie and Hardy had signed on to replace him as 007.
Of course this was actually an April Fools prank and boy were there some funny reactions from fans, including Hardy himself.
One fan tweeted: “Just heard news that Daniel Craig’s quit as James Bond and Tom Hardy is [the] new Bond.
“[I] don’t know whether it’s true or just [an] April fools joke. Not sure if I should believe this news. Need confirmation #confused.”
Another said: “This Tom Hardy as the new James Bond over Daniel Craig and James Norton story better not be a[n] April fools joke [be]cause I’m screeching.
While one hoped in vain: “OMFG TOM HARDY AS THE NEW JAMES BOND I TRULY HOPE IT’S NOT AN APRIL FOOL.”
And probably our favourite tweet was: “To the person who decided to tell the world Tom Hardy was gonna be James Bond as an April Fools joke… I hope you stand on Lego!”
But then the prank got even better when Hardy himself shared a screenshot from the article, joining in on the fun.
Hardy wrote: “Dammit I was in my tux and on the runway. Gtg… no drama. RTB. Headed back to NOLA stood down 19.”
And naturally this further confused his fans, with some assuming he’d actually been cast as James Bond.
In reality Craig will shoot his fifth and final 007 movie, Bond 25, later this year for a November 2019 release.
Of course Hardy is the 3-1 favourite to replace him after that, so anything’s possible.
The star has even hinted in the past that he’d like to play Bond one day.
Last year he said: “You know, there’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it you’re automatically out of the race.
“So I can’t possibly comment on that one! If I mention it, it’s gone.”
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond for the final time in Untitled Bond 25, released in November 2019.
