The Night Manager Proves Tom Hiddleston Should Be the Next James Bond

Ever since his first major onscreen performance in an American film as Loki in 2011’s Thor, audiences have been enamored with Tom Hiddleston, for good reason. He’s got the looks, the charming smile and the British accent. So is it any wonder that he may be a viable option for the next James Bond? If you’re not convinced yet, you need to be watching The Night Manager, the spy drama mini-series currently airing on AMC, starring Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.
Co-produced by AMC and BBC, The Night Manager is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by John le Carré. Tom Hiddleston stars as Jonathan Pine, a former soldier recruited by MI6 as a spy to infiltrate an arms-dealing organization led by Richard Roper (Laurie). The title refers to Pine’s job as a hotel night manager before he is recruited. The show starts off as a slow burn, but by the time you’re into the third episode, the pacing is elevated and the stakes are higher than ever. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy the first episode or two, because there are plenty of great moments throughout, and you’ll especially begin to see why this show serves as an audition for Tom Hiddleston as James Bond.
The Night Manager certainly takes some inspiration from the 007 franchise in terms of its look and style. It features exotic locations, femme fatales, roguish villains and an overall game of cat-and-mouse as the series’ protagonist, Jonathan Pine, gets deeper into Roper’s criminal organization. Even the opening credits look a little bit like those of a Bond film (without the nude women silhouettes). It makes for a fantastic mini-series, partly because it feels less like a TV show and more like an extended cut of a spy film. The build-up so far has been great, giving us plenty of characters to love or hate, and others we’re not quite sure how to feel about just yet.