James Bond Hoax Takes 1 Possible 007 Actor Out of Running

Last year, a rumor began circulating that a mysterious and relatively unknown red-headed actor was in the running to play James Bond. It turns out, that entire story was an elaborate hoax.

What is the James Bond hoax?

A new report from Deadline details the hoax that led to the casting rumor last year. It began with an email from someone noting that a relatively unknown actor, Scott Rose-Marsh, was being seriously considered to be the next James Bond. The email Deadline received included a purported casting email, which contained supposed information about the film and casting, and was dated just days before Denis Villeneuve was confirmed to be the next director in the Bond franchise.

Deadline’s Jake Kanter notes that the email seemed suspicious from the start. He mentions that the way it was formatted resembled that of how AI chatbots relay information and that running it through an AI checker showed a high chance it was written using one. The person who sent the email, a “Michael Lawrence,” refused to share more information, but did send what he claimed were two pages of scripts that Rose-Marsh had read, including one said to be from Steven Knight’s own new script for the movie.

In the end, Deadline refused to publish the rumor. However, several publications did move forward with it, including The Hollywood Reporter, who talked about the story in August 2025. Rose-Marsh then gave an interview to Man of Many in October talking about the reported news and neither confirming nor denying the veracity of the reports.

Deadline’s Kanter notes that, toward the beginning of 2026, he decided to do more research. He eventually found out that the scripts he was sent were fake and that Rose-Marsh had never even tested for the role. He confronted Rose-Marsh on the story, who said the news “may have arisen from a previous ‘Bond-related’ audition,” but wouldn’t comment more.

“I do not agree with or condone hoaxers,” Rose-Marsh said. “I don’t comment on rumors, but since being in the public eye, it’s humbling that people think a rising actor like me could really be James Bond — and, of course, being Bond has been the dream of many actors.”

In the end, the next James Bond remains a mystery. While it’s unlikely to be Scott Rose-Marsh, the current odds-on favorite remains Callum Turner.

Originally reported by Anthony Nash for SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net