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Hollywood hero Vin Diesel backs Sam Heughan to be first Scottish actor to play James Bond since Sir Sean Connery

- BY KEIRAN SOUTHERN

HOLLYWOOD action hero Vin diesel has backed outlander star sam heughan to be the next James bond and the first scottish actor to play the iconic role since

sir sean Connery.

Daniel Craig, 52, has insisted he will bow out of the role with the now-delayed No Time to Die, leaving one of the most soughtafte­r characters in film up for grabs. Heughan – best known for appearing in time-travel drama Outlander – has been among the names regularly linked with the job.

And Diesel, who stars alongside Heughan in new comic book movie Bloodshot, believes he is capable of filling Craig’s shoes.

The Fast and Furious actor said: “Of course he’d make a good James Bond. He’d make a good anything.”

No Time to Die will be Craig’s fifth Bond film and he has insisted it will be his last, despite reports suggesting he was interested in a possible sixth.

Before the release of 2015’s Spectre, his fourth 007 movie, Craig famously said he would “rather slash my wrists” than reprise the role.

Alongside 39-year-old Heughan, other actors mentioned as possible Craig replacemen­ts include Bodyguard’s Richard Madden, McMafia’s James Norton and Luther’s Idris Elba.

Heughan plays a modified super soldier in Bloodshot and director David Wilson agreed with Diesel, saying he would be a perfect fit for Bond.

“I would be there on opening weekend for Sam as James Bond,” he said at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles. “Sam is one of the nicest human beings I have ever worked with.

“Consummate profession­al, everybody loves him, very gracious with his talents.

“He’s a lovely, lovely gentleman and if he should make the cut, I will be there opening weekend, for sure.”

Wilson added: “When we were casting, I was a big fan of Sam’s to begin with and his audition tape was just there with everyone else’s, which was bizarre to me.

“He didn’t even have to audition, he was just on the list of people I wanted in my movie.” Bloodshot is set to arrive in UK cinemas tomorrow.

 ??  ?? SUPER SOLDIER sam in new comic book film Bloodshot
BONDING daniel craig, above, is leaving the role. sean connery, right
A-LIST PALS sam with Vin diesel, above. left, as Jamie Fraser in Outlander
SUPER SOLDIER sam in new comic book film Bloodshot BONDING daniel craig, above, is leaving the role. sean connery, right A-LIST PALS sam with Vin diesel, above. left, as Jamie Fraser in Outlander

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