CHANNELLING 007: Is he the next James Bond?

Scottish actor Richard Madden (with British actor Taron Egerton) fuelled rumours with a string of Instagram poses in exotic settings typical of the world's favourite spy.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Madden's accent closely resembles that of Sean Connery, the actor who first played the British spy, but Madden coyly brushed off the rumours at the Cannes film festival.

However, he did not rule it out either, in a reply which failed to douse further speculation.

"It's very flattering to be involved in that conversation at all, but it's all just talk and next week I'm sure it will be someone different," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

The white tuxedo was immortalised by Connery, who wore it at the start of Goldfinger (1964), with the style becoming one of 007's most famous looks.

The upcoming James Bond film, the 25th in the movie franchise, is scheduled to be released in April next year. It is likely to mark actor Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond.