One of the more entertaining aspects of X-Men: First Class is its obvious 1960s-era James Bond influence. Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, a Holocaust survivor on a quest for personal revenge, is heavily reminiscent of Sean Connery’s cool, charming-but-deadly version of Bond.

Recently, First Class director Matthew Vaughn offered up Michael Fassbender as a potential candidate for 007. So at the X-Men: First Class press conference today in New York, we asked Fassbender how he felt about the idea.

Check out what the esteemed actor (and fast-rising star) had to say below:

Screen Rant: There’s a lot of Sean Connery-style James Bond stuff going on in First Class and you seem very at home in that role. Once Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond is over, would you be interested in taking over for him?

Lucas Till (the actor who plays Havoc): Yes, he would!

(Laughter from the cast)

Michael Fassbender: You know … I don’t know. I really don’t plan anything ever because it never seems to work. I’m just [like] – let’s just get this film out and see how this one does. And I’m sort of in the middle of doing [Ridley Scott’s Prometheus]. And, you know, Daniel [Craig] is doing a great job. We’ll see what happens. I’m very flattered that people are sort of making that link, but – I don’t know. We’ll see.

Despite Michael Fassbender’s reluctance to talk about playing Bond, his cast members – particularly Till – seemed incredibly keen on the idea. It’s worth noting that if Fassbender was absolutely not keen on the idea, he probably would have said so. Take that how you will.

Indeed, his combined work in both Inglourious Basterds and X-Men: First Class have established that Fassbender would be more than capable of following in the footsteps of Daniel Craig -- not to mention Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, and even Sean Connery. Fassbender's cool, he's charming, and he can stay likable while ruthlessly assassinating bad guys in cold blood. Not many actors can pull that off.

Michael Fassbender Talks Possibly Playing James Bond in the Future

Courtesy of Bleeding Cool, here’s the Matthew Vaughn quote where he talks all things Bond, including the possibility of Fassbender playing 007:

“I was very keen to direct Bond. I don’t know if I am any more, to be blunt, now that I’ve done this. I really love Daniel [Craig], though, you know, it might be interesting if they one day decide to cast Fassbender as Bond, then maybe I’ll go ‘Hey!’”

That would be very interesting, indeed. Vaughn would probably have enough time to film a First Class sequel (Second Class? First Class: Semester 2?) before Bond 24 would even go into pre-production.

What are your thoughts? Would you like to see Michael Fassbender take over for Daniel Craig after he's done with the Bond franchise, or do you have someone else in mind? Let us know in the comments.

X-Men: First Class hits theaters June 3rd, 2011. James Bond 23, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig, hits theaters November 9th, 2012.

SIDE NOTE: Be sure to stay tuned for more of our interviews with the cast of X-Men: First Class.

Follow me on Twitter @benandrewmoore.

Source: Bleeding Cool