It’s been five years since Daniel Craig clocked out of the Bond franchise with 2021’s No Time to Die, and ever since, the search for the next 007 has felt less like a casting process and more like a very attractive group chat.
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Every few months a new contender emerges. Jacob Elordi. Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Callum Turner. Regé-Jean Page. If a man owns a tuxedo and has cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, odds are he’s been linked to Bond at least once. In May, Amazon MGM Studios finally confirmed that the search is officially on.
“The search for the next James Bond is underway,” a rep said in a statement. “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
That’s all well and good, but I’d like to submit some evidence for the consideration of the Bond powers that be.
Exhibit A: Jonathan Bailey.
Shaken, Stirred, and Looking Extremely Dangerous
While MI6 has yet to slide into his inbox, Bailey has just been unveiled as the new Martini Man for Italian aperitivo brand MARTINI®, and the campaign is basically what happens when a Bond fantasy and a luxury travel ad have a very attractive baby.
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The official release describes Bailey arriving “on the sun-drenched coast just outside Venice to undertake a series of stylish initiations designed to unlock the art of sprezzatura: the effortless confidence and attitude synonymous with MARTINI and Italian culture.”
Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to unlock the art of functioning after watching the video three times in a row. From the moment Bailey emerges from behind the wheel of an original 1970s MARTINI Racing car, it’s game over. The man isn’t simply entering a scene. He’s making an entrance with a capital E.
“The roll of the Martini Man is reserved only for the most charismatic of figures,” a voiceover begins. “Which naturally lead us to you.”
The tailored fits. The movie-star grin. The kind of smolder that should probably come with a fire warning. If Bond’s job description includes making everyone in the room immediately forget what they were talking about, Bailey already has the role mastered.
Bellissimo, indeed.
Jonathan Bailey’s Bond-Level License to Thrill
Let’s be honest for a moment. Bond has always been a fantasy. Fast cars. Exotic locations. Impossibly beautiful people. Martinis consumed with confidence rather than heartburn. And Bailey fits into that world so naturally it almost feels unfair.
No offense to the Elordis and Taylor-Johnsons of the world, but Amazon MGM is going to have a hard time finding a better unofficial audition tape than this. Swap the Italian coastline for Monte Carlo, throw in a villain with an unnecessarily elaborate evil plan, and Bailey could be saving the world before the opening credits finish rolling.
What makes it work isn’t just that he’s handsome. Hollywood is overflowing with handsome men. Bond requires charm. Wit. Confidence. The ability to look devastatingly attractive while doing something as mundane as getting out of a car. Bailey checks every box. And he seems to be having the time of his life doing it.
“Stepping into the iconic role of The MARTINI Man is an honor,” the Wicked star said in a statement. “It’s incredibly exciting to me because it’s about stepping outside of your comfort zone, finding confidence in yourself and living joyfully. It’s about bringing that exhilarating spark of Italian style to everyday moments.”
Frankly, if this is what stepping outside your comfort zone looks like, some of us may need to be a little braver.
More Than Just a Pretty Face in a Perfect Suit
Of course, Bailey’s partnership with MARTINI isn’t just about serving looks and causing collective distractions. As part of this multi-year partnership, MARTINI will support The Shameless Fund. In 2024, Bailey launched The Shameless Fund, a not-for-profit organisation that exists to forge a world where every LGBTQ+ person can live authentically, love freely and thrive without the burdens of discrimination, oppression, or shame.
The Shameless Fund raises funds through global brand collabs, providing grants to power up frontline charities. MARTINI and Bailey will continue to work together over the course of the partnership to support The Shameless Fund through future campaign moments and brand collaborations.
The partnership also includes TERRAZZA MARTINI, a pop-up experience visiting aperitivo hotspots across Europe and the United States, including Milan, Barcelona, Berlin, St. Tropez, Venice, and New York.
As the campaign puts it: “It’s a reminder to the world – Italy is not just a place, it’s a mindset. And everyone is invited.”
As for Bond, the casting race continues. But if the mission is to find someone who can wear a tuxedo, sell a martini, radiate confidence, and leave half the internet weak in the knees without saying a word, Jonathan Bailey has already completed the assignment.
The question isn’t whether he looks like James Bond. The question is whether anyone else can make such a convincing case while looking this good.
Learn more about The Shameless Fund here: https://theshamelessfund.org