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Following reports of how Daniel Craig has rudely brushed off any hint of empathy over his 007 character, you definitely will not see Craig in the new James Bond feature opening in late 2017 or early 2018.

No, that's not the movie, though. That would be James Bond: the Musical. And one of the actors being eyed for the part is no less than the sexy elf king of Hobbit lore, Lee Pace, Mashable Asia reports.

Ever since news of the musical came out, social media has been on fire on speculation on who should play the all too suave secret agent from the UK. Some of the more high-profile guesses included the ever charming Tom Hiddleston and the Halt and Catch Fire leading man, Pace.

Why Pace should be a strong bet as Bond is not hard to see. With screaming fan girls from Argentina all the way to China and back, previously low-key Pace has managed to carve out a heartbreaking reputation for his smouldering smile, smokey looks and imposing camera presence thanks to successful involvements in big franchise films including The Hobbit, The Twilight Saga (where he played Garrett, a brooding vampire who hated the musical British invasion of the 80s), and Guardians of the Galaxy (as Ronan the Accuser).

Apparently many think Pace's thick eyebrows, tall stature (he is more than 6 feet tall), swimmer's body and smooth British accent makes him a shoo-in for 007. Furthermore, he is an alumnus of a number of Broadway productions. The Julliard graduate and Chickasha, Oklahoma native has yet to make a statement about these reports.

Mashable Asia further says that James Bond: The Musical will premiere on Broadway or in Las Vegas. The executive producer is Merry Saltzman, who is the offspring of the late Bond film producer Harry Saltzman. This should be an interesting take on the sexy British spy with the book to be written by Dave Clarke. Country composer Jay Henry Weisz will pen the music.

And before you can say ooh or ahh, the musical project is already courting controversy this early. The BBC reports that the project has created tension between the musical's producer and the owners of the James Bond franchise.

Merry Saltzman claims she had secured rights to stage the show, but MGM and Danjaq denied they licensed any rights. Saltzman's response is that since the theatrical is a parody, she has no need to seek approval from the James Bond film rights owners.

This didn't stop Danjaq and MGM to publicly declare on the 007 website, that they had not "licensed any rights to Merry Saltzman or her production company to create a James Bond musical." Why anyone should oppose James Bond singing and dancing to a tune on stage is beyond comprehension.