The LEGO Batman Movie's Will Arnett: 'There's this crazy rumour that I'm being considered as Bond'

The voice behind LEGO's own take on the Caped Crusader explains Batman's eternal appeal, and which gadget he'd steal from the Batcave

All this James Bond hysteria has gotten pretty out of control.

To the point that it feels like we've run out of British actors to endlessly speculate and obsess over as Daniel Craig's eventual replacement - our Tom Hiddlestons, our Idris Elbas - and decided anyone who hails from the British Commonwealth is pretty much up for grabs as well. Watch out, Canadians.

First, Ryan Gosling bemusedly found himself the subject of a rumour that he was being considered for the role, and now fellow Canadian Will Arnett claims to be suffering a similar fate - if you take his word for it, at least.

"There's this crazy rumour that's been going around since I've been in London that I'm being considered as the new Bond because I'm Canadian, part of the Commonwealth," Arnett told The Independent in his classic deadpan. "And I'm, like guys, I don't want to do it, thank you. I'm kind of busy. Baseball season's coming up and, whatever, with the kids and stuff. But they're like, oh, you should do it. So, I don't know. I'm gonna ring up the Queen and we're gonna talk about it."

"Everybody wants me for Bond," he continued. "And I don't know who started the rumour, but it's catching on like crazy. It's been going round this set all day. And everybody's been pointing fingers at each other."

Sure, by that he means entirely himself. Yet, self-initiated or not, the idea of Arnett taking on Bond isn't entirely wild - he's already voiced the titular smooth-talking, dare-doing vigilante of the upcoming The LEGO Batman Movie.

"Batman's like the James Bond of Gotham," Arnett even joked. "I've never said that before [laughs]. Batman's been around a long time, and there have been so many different iterations of him, but people like him because his story is pretty great. And kind of tragic in a way. His parents were killed in front of him as a child and so he was orphaned very young, and raised by a butler. He was the original poor little rich kid."

"He vowed to spend the rest of his life as a vigilante fighting crime, and he used his vast wealth for good. And there's something about that - almost a Robin Hood quality to it that people I think were able to sort of latch onto."

Directed by Chris McKay, The LEGO Batman Movie acts as a spin-off to Phil Lord and Chris Miller's wildly successful The LEGO Movie; seeing Arnett return to the role in a stand-alone adventure which sees Batman attempt to save Gotham from a hostile takeover by the Joker - though he can only achieve success if he learns one very important lesson: the importance of teamwork.

Arnett is joined by the likes of Zack Galifianakis as the Joker, Michael Cera as Robin, Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon, and Ralph Fiennes as Alfred.

The LEGO Batman Movie hits UK cinemas 10 February, with previews taking place 4 and 5 Feb.