The race to be Denis Villeneuve‘s 007 is hotting up, but Taron Egerton has bowed out.

The actor, known for his roles in the Kingsman movies and as Elton John in Rocketman, may have been considered a frontrunner for James Bond after step-siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson formally handed over the rights to Amazon earlier this year. He’s young, fit and British, has proven he can play a great spy — why not?

“I think I’m too messy for that,” Egerton told Collider on Tuesday. “I think I’m not [the right fit]— I really love James Bond and particularly Daniel Craig’s tenure.”

“But I think I wouldn’t be good at it,” he continued, “and I think there’s so many cool, younger actors who would be great for it. I think it would be wasted on me, probably.”

Egerton added that the role would be “quite an undertaking” at this stage in his career. “As far as I’m aware, nobody’s asking me to do it. But also, it’s possibly not quite the thing that would make me happiest,” he said, referring to the restrictive nature of playing Bond. “It kind of consumes your life, a role like that.”

In a 2023 interview, Egerton said it was his weight that put him off the task of Bond. “I’ve always struggled with my weight,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph. “[Bond] is a bit like being a brand ambassador as well as being an actor. And that could be really fun in microcosm, but I’m sure I read that Barbara Broccoli said that it’s a 15-year commitment.”

Rumors are still swirling about who’ll be tapped to take over from Daniel Craig after Dune director Villeneuve was confirmed to helm the next era of the James Bond franchise.

“I grew up watching James Bond films with my father,” the Canadian gushed in a statement after the news broke. “I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”

The Hollywood Reporter recently took an in-depth look at the director’s portfolio to decide whether he’s the right man for the job.