April 23, 2001
Daily Record
OTR..BUTLER IN LINE TO BE NEXT 007

Bond bosses to meet Scot
SCOTS actor Gerard Butler is being wooed by Bond producers to replace Pierce Brosnan as 007.

It is the latest attempt by movie bosses to sign up a Scotsman to follow in the shoes of Sean Connery.

Mission: Impossible II star Dougray Scott was approached last year but turned down the role.

Determined to bring Bond north of the Border again, producer Barbara Broccoli has set up a lunch date with 32-year-old Butler during the summer to discuss taking over the role.

A source revealed: "Gerard is one of two people Barbara has appointments with. They are meeting to discuss replacing Pierce after his final movie.

"She's also meeting Colin Wells, who was in Titus with Anthony Hopkins. He's been Brosnan's stand-in during screen tests."

Butler would reclaim James Bond for Scotland for the first time since Connery vacated the famous role in 1983 after Never Say Never Again.

Dougray Scott was considered the obvious candidate but turned down the role as he felt he couldn't better Connery's performance.

He said: "I'm very flattered that people consider me good enough to play James Bond. But I couldn't play that part any better than Sean did.

"To be honest, I'm not convinced I am suave enough. I wouldn't even play one of the baddies."

But 6ft 2in dark-haired Butler has already made one short appearance in the Bond series in Tomorrow Never Dies.

He has the looks and intelligence to fit snugly into the famous Bond role.

Incredibly, he only took up acting after studying for a law degree at Glasgow University - where he got used to wearing black tie as president of the Law Society.

Just a week before he was to become a fully qualified solicitor, he dropped it all to pursue a career on the silver screen.

Glasgow-born Butler said: "I just thought, 'I really don't want to do this.' My family and friends thought I was mad, but now they could not be happier."

Butler is currently in Ireland with Christian Bale and Matthew McConaghey, filming the blockbuster dragons-and-fireballs fantasy epic, Reign of Fire.

In June, he will take to the screen in his first lead role - as Dracula in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000.

His best known parts to date are as the younger brother of Billy Connolly's character in Mrs Brown, and as Ewan McGregor's character in the stage version of Trainspotting.

Butler was hailed as a hero during the shoot for Mrs Brown after saving a young boy from drowning.

However, even if he manages to persuade Barbara that he's the man for the job, he may have to wait a few years yet.

Brosan's contract expires after his fourth Bond movie which goes into production in January 2002.

But the Irish star recently expressed an interest in signing up for a few more blockbusters.

He said: "I want this next Bond film to be the most surprising, realistic and edgy I've done.

"If this one works out, I'd certainly be up to coming back for a few more."

Other names who've been tipped to take over from Brosnan include another Scot, Iain Glen, Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, Eastenders star Steve Owen, Rufus Sewell, Jeremy Northam, Greg Wise and even Catherine Zeta Jones.