The next James Bond could sound familiar to Elden Ring fans. Jack Barton, the voice actor for Messmer, the Impaler, is reportedly in the running to be the next 007 in the silver screen.
Barton may have some big-name competition in front of him, however. Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson are all vying for the role, according to a report by Page Six (thanks, GameSpot). Screen tests haven’t begun, but Barton could be in a prime spot in the running so far.
Barton’s IMDb page lists Messmer as his only videogame credit, though the actor also appeared in the Oscar-winning Poor Things (led by Emma Stone) and in a couple of acclaimed UK TV series.
There’s a long, storied debate about whether Bond should be a familiar star or an unknown. Veteran Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams—who cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, but has since retired—maintains the role of Bond shouldn’t go to a famous star. Barton also reportedly shares a publicist with Craig, which might push him above the competition.
Messmer is one of Elden Ring‘s most memorable and tragic bosses, and it’s hard to forget Marika’s forsaken son if you fought him in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Even if you don’t have the full context behind his boss fight, Barton’s voice acting shines through in each word. It also helps that you may have to listen to his intro a few dozen times before you really get the timing of dodging his long spear combo.
As usual for FromSoftware, Shadow of the Erdtree‘s lore appears mostly in obscure dialogue, item descriptions, and a lot of speculation. Messmer’s story is deeply embedded in the lore of Marika, the Hornsent, and the Realm of Shadow. Barton’s voice acting is impressive even if you’re not aware of the meaning behind him or why his tone changes the second he realizes you’re a Tarnished, but having that lore background makes it far easier to appreciate the performance. (Content creator VaatiVidya has a one-hour video on Messmer’s lore, which is par for the course for Elden Ring).
Even if Barton was cast as Bond immediately, it would be a while until fans see him as 007 on the big screen—or, tangentially related, until the A24-backed Elden Ring movie debuts, which I’m thrilled to watch. On a similar note, today’s Elden Ring 1.17 patch buffed the damage on the Spear of the Impaler’s throwing attack. Coincidence? Absolutely, but hey, at least there’s another reason to whip out Messmer’s signature weapon outside of its really cool (and kind of impractical) Ash of War.
Destiny guy at Destructoid. He's been freelancing since 2019, and covering Destiny almost exclusively since 2021. These days, you can summon him by inviting him to do a raid in D2, fight a Nightlord in Elden Ring: Nightreign, or go vault hunting in Borderlands 4.
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