Tom Hardy "can't possibly comment" on whether or not he's in the running to become the next James Bond.
Tom Hardy
The 39-year-old actor has been largely speculated as a contender to take up the role of the fictional spy when Daniel Craig steps down from the position, but says he won't talk about his chances for fear of it putting him "out of the race".
Asked about the speculation, Tom 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."
And whilst the Hollywood hunk won't say too much about where he stands with the franchise, he did admit Christopher Nolan would be a "fantastic" director for the next instalment.
He added to The Daily Beast: "Chris Nolan, what a fantastic director for a Bond movie. Because Daniel [Craig] is so good, and what [director Sam] Mendes and Barbara [Broccoli, producer] have done has been so impressive, that it would be a very hard re-imagination to follow after.
"I wonder what the next instalment of that franchise would become, and I think when you mention someone like Christopher Nolan, that's a very powerful figure to bring into that world who could bring something new and create something profound - again."
The search for a new Bond comes after Daniel Craig has reportedly refused to contact studio executives to confirm or deny his involvement with the next movie.
A source said last month: "Daniel and MGM are currently at a stalemate with him having not spoken to them about Bond.
"They have offered a bigger wage deal, and asked about his filming availability to his reps in 2017, but as of yet they have not spoken to Daniel."
Other names in contention to take over from the 48-year-old actor include 'Poldark' star Aidan Turner, 'Thor' actor Tom Hiddleston, and 'Luther' actor Idris Elba.
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