(Photo: Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Jamie Bell is reportedly in talks to take on the role of James Bond in the as yet untitled next entry in the franchise.

The actor (according to Deadline) has met with Producer Barbara Broccoli about the part, which is significant since Broccoli has produced the Bond films for a long time, and worked with Bell on his latest film Film Stars Don't Die. While nothing is official yet, it would officially be the ned of the Daniel Craig era if things go through.

The studio did not want to part with Craig, and reportedly offered him a large contract to stay, but the actor has been quite vocal about being done with the franchise on several occasions, and his future work slate doesn't give fans any confidence that he will return either. The actor has a new mini-series in the works that will span 20 episodes called Purity, which he worked on with producer Scott Rudin and Director Todd Field. The series is currently being shopped to Showtime. He's also possibly starring in Logan Lucky, which if finalized would start shooting in the fall.

Since the studio has to switch actors, going with a younger actor in Bell (30) makes good business sense, as they can essentially build around him for the foreseeable future. Fans responded well to Craig's version of Bond, but a new take on the character might be necessary if indeed Craig decides to vacate the role.

Either way, a new Bond is slated to release until 2018 at the earliest, so there is some time to get things in order. Still, the sooner the better.