Oh, James! Norton keen to be 007 – but says Dan is the man...

HE’S one of the actors tipped to be the next James Bond – and James Norton has hinted he’d be interested in the role, saying he’s pleased to be ‘part of the whole conversation’. The War And Peace star, 31, also admitted he was a ‘great fan’ of Daniel Craig, saying he ‘selfishly’ hopes the current 007 does another two or three Bond films.

When questioned about the Bond rumours on ITV’s This Morning, James said: ‘It’s lovely to be part of the whole conversation.’

The actor, pictured below, is set to star in his first studio movie – the new Flatliners film, out later this year – alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Ellen Page.

Speaking about making the transition from TV to films, James said: ‘It’s my first foray into the studio world. I went to Toronto to film it. It was a daunting prospect because everyone knows and loves the film.’

Looking ahead to the new series of Grantchester, which begins this Sunday on UTV at 9pm, James said he has more similarities to his character Sidney than to Tommy from Happy Valley, whom he also plays.

He said: ‘Sidney is closer to me. It’s challenging to play someone just like you. You learn a lot about yourself. Sidney spends a lot of time thinking, praying.’

James emerged as one of the favourites to take over from Daniel Craig last summer, joining the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Aidan Turner and Tom Hardy.

Earlier this month, it was suggested Craig, 49, was ‘poised’ to reprise the role and make his fifth Bond film. An insider revealed to Page Six that the actor had been having talks with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli. The source said: ‘Now Daniel’s talks with Barbara are going in the right direction.

‘They have a script – screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are writing – and they’ll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit.

‘Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn’t like Tom Hiddleston, he’s a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond.’