After he starred in the flop The Hulk last year Eric Bana's career was being given the thumbs down.
Then came Troy and the critics said his performance as Hector was the only thing good about the film.
Now comes news that the Australian actor -- who began his career as a comic on Aussie television -- may be the next 007.
Pierce Brosnan, the Irish heart-throb who made the role all his own this last decade, gave up his license to kill last week.
The folks behind the Bond franchise now want someone suitably modern for the 21st film in the series.
British tabloids say the Bond producers want to 'modernise Bond and turn him into a youthful, suave and modern hero to compete with the likes of Spider-Man and Keanu [Reeves] in The Matrix.'
Bana -- who has played an American soldier (Blackhawk Down), a superhero (The Hulk) and a hero (Troy) in his last three films -- is said to be well ahead of his closest rivals, Britons Jude Law, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom (his co-star in Blackhawk Down and Troy) and fellow Aussie Heath Ledger in the race to play James Bond
.But Aussies and 007 have not had good karma.
The last Aussie to play Bond -- the brawny George Lazenby -- made just one 007 flick, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, after Sean Connery gave up the part. The franchise soon reverted to another Briton, Roger Moore.
