Tom Hardy helped turn an April Fools Day prank into fake news when he went along with onscreen gossip suggesting he had signed up as the new James Bond.
The Dunkirk star is among the many names who have been linked to 007 in the past, and he fooled fans into thinking he would be taking over from Daniel Craig on Sunday (01Apr18).
The actor posted a screenshot of an article that read: "Daniel Craig QUITS - Tom Hardy Cast as NEW 007", and captioned it: "Dammit I was in my tux and on the runway..."
Fans quickly took to Twitter to react to the fake news, with one Hardy fan declaring: "This Tom Hardy as the new James Bond over Daniel Craig and James Norton story better not be a April fools joke cause I’m screeching."
Craig announced last year (17) that he would returning for one more Bond movie after previously hinting 2015's Spectre would be his last outing as the superspy.
Before he confirmed he'd be back as Bond, the Internet went into overdrive as fans speculated about who could take his place. Hardy was briefly mentioned alongside stars like Idris Elba, who remains a fan favorite, Tom Hiddleston, Damian Lewis, and Grantchester star Norton.
Craig will start shooting the new Bond movie - his fifth - this summer (18). There is still no word from producers as to who will take over the iconic role when Daniel steps away.
Meanwhile, Danny Boyle recently confirmed he and his writing partner John Hodge are working on a script for the next Bond movie, the 25th installment in the franchise. John and Danny previously worked together on films including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and The Beach.