Is the 'mystery' James Bond actor hiding in plain sight? Rivals heartthrob Alex Hassell attends 007 event after saying he would 'love' to play the iconic secret agent

Alex Hassell sparked rumours he could be the 'mystery' James Bond actor in the final auditions as he attended a 007 event at The NoMad Hotel on Wednesday.The Rivals heartthrob, 46, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black in the Disney+ bonkbuster, has previously declared he would 'love' to play the iconic secret agent. His appearance at the OMEGA Seamaster James Bond and Spectre dinner has fans wondering if he could be the actor in question hiding in plain sight.Hoping to step into Daniel Craig's shoes, Hassell channelled his inner spy in a dapper suit as he joined his glamorous wife Emma King. When asked about the online chatter, Hassell quipped: 'You tell me! Someone said to me that Rupert Campbell-Black was the James Bond of erotica, which I thought was hilarious. 'I would love to be touted as the next James Bond, but nobody's touted me', he added in an interview with The Times. Alex Hassell has sparked rumours he could be the 'mystery' James Bond actor in the final auditions as he attended a 007 event at The NoMad Hotel on WednesdayAfter years of rumours and speculation, it was revealed over the weekend that a final shortlist of stars were performing screen tests at Bray Studios. Callum Turner and Jack Lowden kicked off the auditions on Friday and on Saturday a mystery star was seen leaving the auditions.Bond sleuths have flooded social media with theories about who the unnamed actor could be, and one name that has appeared multiple times is Joe Alwyn.The actor has previously appeared in Conversations With Friends, The Brutalist and Hamnet – and fans have said it would 'make sense' if he was the unnamed star.One social media user wrote: 'I can't think of any other reason why they would hide the actor, Joe has a good reason tho to be hidden tho.'Nina Gold one of the casting directors knows Joe really well, she's known him from drama school and casts him in his first film as well as now.'Making the actor hidden because that's the most likely to be confirmed bond I don't think is the case as why would they announce the other three if they already know who it's likely to be.'The post, which was shared on Reddit, then sparked a sea of responses agreeing with the theory. The Rivals heartthrob, 46, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black in the Disney+ bonkbuster, has previously declared he would 'love' to play the iconic secret agent His appearance at the OMEGA Seamaster James Bond and Spectre dinner has fans wondering if he could be the actor in question hiding in plain sight Hoping to step into Daniel Craig's shoes, Hassell channelled his inner spy in a dapper suit as he joined his glamorous wife Emma KingThey included: 'Never thought about him as a contender before, but it makes sense;''He is supposed to be filming in NYC for a Rom com, but was in London this week for a friend's wedding and potentially this audition.'Screen tests were said to be taking place throughout this weekend, with between three and five actors understood to have reached the last stages of the process. A source told the Daily Mail: 'Daniel Craig's replacement has been years in the making and Callum was called today [Friday] to have his chance to impress the bosses. The next three days are going to be very interesting indeed.'Bray Studios is a historic production house on the River Thames, home to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but was acquired by Amazon MGM Studios, which now controls the Bond franchise, in 2024.Turner's meeting with chiefs spells the end of almost a decade-long search to replace Daniel Craig as the world's most famous spy.The Emma actor, who married the popstar Dua Lipa earlier this year, has long been the front-runner for the role.Scottish actor Lowden and Josh O'Connor, both 36, are more recent names to be thrown into the ring and Australian actor Jacob Elordi, 29, also in the running will, no doubt anger die-hard fans who believe Bond should be played by a British actor. Meanwhile, James Bond fans have said it would 'make sense' if Joe Alwyn were the unnamed star spotted leaving the Bond auditions After years of rumours and speculation, it was revealed over the weekend that a final shortlist of stars were performing screen tests to replace Daniel Craig in the roleConfirming that the audition process was reaching an end, Bond producer Amy Pascal in August said: 'I would say the end of the year is a good bet.'Casting by December would allow Amazon MGM Studios to start filming the next movie in 2027.Dune director Denis Villeneuve, who is taking on the project and bosses at Amazon, announced in May that the casting process was under way.Ms Pascal said: 'We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow.'And it's got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different.'Other stars who were previously linked with the role include The King's Man star Harris Dickinson, along with SAS: Rogue Heroes' Jack Barton.Only six actors have ever played novelist Ian Fleming's British Secret Service agent in the official film series – Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.