Ray Winstone has put his name forward for James Bond, after the shock news that Amazon have taken over the 007 movie franchise.   

Long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson revealed last week they were ceding creative control to streaming giant Amazon, founded by tech billionaire Jeff Bezos.

And Ray, 68, is the latest Brit star to voice their concern for the deal, whilst making a surprise bid for the role.

Insisting he can step up to ensure the spy remains British, the movie hardman, who is about to start shooting series two of Netflix hit The Gentlemen, told talkSPORT: ‘I’d like to play Bond. Get him down to earth, get him gritty.’

He added of rumours the suave British icon could be Americanized: ‘The world’s gone crazy.’ 

Broccoli and Wilson are the daughter and stepson of Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli who launched the British spy franchise in 1962. 

Ray Winstone has put his name forward for James Bond, after the shock news that Amazon have taken over the 007 movie franchise

They will remain co-owners but fans and former Bond film stars have raised concerns about how the future of the legendary 007 series will play out.

The most recent Bond film No Time To Die was released in 2021 and there has still been no decision on who will succeed Daniel Craig in the lead role. 

Former James Bond Timothy Dalton has branded the sale of the film franchise to Amazon as ‘sad’ – while insisting the next actor to play 007 must be British. 

Dalton, who starred as the super-spy in The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill, has become the latest to raise concerns over the new takeover deal just announced.

The actor, now 78, is one of only seven actors to portray Bond on the silver screen – along with Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Craig, while David Niven featured in one unofficial, non-Eon Productions film.

The Welsh-born actor, whose recent credits include playing Princess Margaret’s ex-lover Peter Townsend in drama series The Crown, has now spoken out about the Amazon agreement which has upset Bond aficionados.

When asked about the fears being expressed, he told the Telegraph: ‘I think it’s sad as well. Barbara is one of the best women in the whole world. I think she’s fantastic.

‘Around a Bond movie, everyone’s got an opinion. That tends to make something less special, but if you keep it to people who know what they’re doing and know what they want, then it will sharpen up and be good. Barbara had that.

‘I have no idea what Amazon would do with it, and I have no idea what the relationship of Amazon to the Broccolis will be.

Timothy Dalton, seen here playing James Bond in 1989 film Licence To Kill, has described the new sale of the 007 franchise to streaming giant Amazon as ‘sad’

Producer Barbara Broccoli, 64, controlled the Bond movies for 30 years after taking over from her father – Dalton has paid tribute to her as ‘one of the best women in the whole world’

‘But it is a damn fine series of movies. I was watching it when I was young, we all were. It’s been part of our lives, so anything that threatens it is kind of sad.’

And on the subject of whether the next actor picked for the main role created in Ian Fleming’s novels should be British, Dalton insisted: ‘I would agree with that.

‘It is one of the few wonderful stories we’ve got in film that is British. The leading character is British. We can call it our own.

‘Yes. Yes. Because that’s where it was born, that’s what the stories are. Definitely. One hundred per cent.’