UNITED KINGDOM (August 19, 2004)- Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have reportedly narrowed the short list of actors being considered to next play James Bond to five key contenders: Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Eric Bana (The Hulk), Rikki Lee Travolta (Camelot: Excalibur), Adrian Paul (Highlander), and Clive Owen (King Arthur).

The would-be Bonds are recognized for making the short list based on their talent, appropriate look for the role, accent, and potential commercial appeal. However the deciding factor on who is ultimately cast could down to age.

Eon Productions, producers of the James Bond film franchise, has remained tight-lipped on their reasoning for looking to recast the spy. However, speculation has the rationale based on the age of recently released former-Bond Pierce Brosnan (51).

Adrian Paul has won several fan popularity polls to be the next Bond. He is a classically trained actor, also trained in martial arts and is former professional dancer. However at 45, he is the senior member of the contending actors.

If Eon Productions indeed opted to not pursue a continued affiliation with Brosnan after he reached the 50-year mark, they would face the same concern with Paul within five years time.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rikki Lee Travolta matches credentials virtually pound-for-pound with Paul. He too is classically trained with critically acclaimed credits as Shakespeare's Hamlet and Romeo. Likewise he has the martial arts and dance training to make Bond both lethal and smooth.

However, Travolta turns 29 next month. This makes him the youngest of the serious Bond contenders.

Erica Bana had been rumored in the press as already having signed a contract to sport the Bond tuxedo when cameras are scheduled to begin rolling in January. However, the actor, his publicist, and agent have all gone on the record denying the rumor. According to Bana he has never even been contacted by Eon Productions.

At age 37, Bana fits comfortably between the perceived concerns of Broccoli and Wilson: potential longevity of youth and potential hazards of maturity.

As a former standup comic, he should be able to properly fill the dry wit demands of Ian Fleming's famous spy character. However, Bana is already the key figure in the Hulk film franchise, which causes concern that it could make the Bond image secondary in the public eye.

Although nearing forty, Clive Owen (39) still would be able to provide a good ten years of Bond action before hitting the benchmark fifty. Owen, who appeared as an assassin in the popular Bourn Identity, has been a rumored Bronsan replacement since popping onto the scene in a series of BMW advertisements playing a Bond-like character.

The most commercially visible of the Bond Five, Hugh Jackman (35) also offers the most median age. Like Bana, Jackman is attached to another high profile role in the X-Men film franchise. He is currently filming his third appearance as Wolverine and a spin off solo film is rumored.

There is also talk in Hollywood that Jackman's publicized 1969 birth date may not match his birth certificate. This is not uncommon in Hollywood and will only be an issue for Jackman if age is in fact a deciding factor for Eon's Broccoli and Wilson.

The names of Orlando Bloom (26) and Heath Ledger (24) have appeared in some gossip circles as possibilities for an MGM spin off franchise of James Bond college years films, but they are not viewed in serious contention to replace Brosnan in the principal role in the established franchise.

On August 18, 2004 the Chicago Sun Times suggested Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) might be a recent consideration for Eon Productions. McMahon (36) is set to play Dr. Doom in a film adaptation of the comic book The Fantastic Four.

Original Bond Sean Connery was selected for the role at the age of 29 after producer Albert R. Broccoli saw him in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. He made his first appearance as the character at the age of 32 in Dr. No.

George Lazenby replaced Connery as Bond at the age of 29. Roger Moore stepped into the role at the age of 46 and Timothy Dalton at 41. Brosnan was originally offered the role at the age of 34 but had to wait ten years before his first appearance.

The Chicago Sun Times first reported the departure of Brosnan (then 50) as Bond in February