Louis Partridge, come on down, you’re the next contestant on James Bond Casting Rumors!

Although the constant stream of rumored 007 contenders can become exhausting, the idea of a 23-year-old Louis Partridge and Olivia Rodrigo beau (imagine a tag-team Bond + theme artist this young a la the Dua Lipa and Callum Turner rumors) taking over Bond 26 is interesting. As someone in his forties, I probably don’t have much in common with Partridge, but that might be exactly why a casting like this could work.

A Bond this young would enter the role with a completely fresh canvas, allowing the actor to build the character in his early adult formative years over multiple movies instead of trying to convince the audience he’s an already-established double-0 agent which could be more difficult. Watching a younger Bond mature on screen would be a fascinating challenge for the filmmakers.

The risk, however, is spending too much time watching Bond become Bond. I’m not sure I need a trilogy of “growing pain” entries before seeing 007 hit his stride.