With that in mind, Owen has long been an oft-suggested name by fans whenever the James Bond franchise needs a new actor to take over the iconic lead role. While it’s hardly the first thing most bring up when Owen’s action credentials are mentioned, his most Bond-esque turn to date came way back in the 2001-2002 BMW-produced short film series The Hire, which starred Owen as an enigmatic character known only as The Driver.
At age 52, some would argue Owen is now too old to assume the Bond role, but BMW has no such qualms about enlisting the actor to reprise The Driver in a new short film intended to reboot The Hire series.
Entitled The Escape, the short is directed by Neill Blomkamp, and is planned to be the first in a set of new entries in The Hire universe.
Eight total shorts were made in The Hire series, with each installment directed by big name filmmakers such as Ang Lee, John Frankenheimer and Guy Ritchie.