agent carter hayley atwell

As fans likely know by now, ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Steven Moffat and current Doctor portrayer Peter Capaldi will be leaving the long-running British sci-fi show at this season’s end, paving the way for a new era of ‘Who’ to commence.  Chris Chibnall will be taking over showrunner duties, and while no new actor or actress has expressly been announced to take over the mantle of the titular character, rumors have been swirling for quite some time.

One name that has come up frequently, albeit mostly on fans’ wish lists for the role and not in any “official” discussions, is Hayley Atwell.  The British-born actress is best known to genre audiences as portraying super-agent Peggy Carter in both ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and in the TV series ‘Marvel’s Agent Carter,‘ both part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Seems like it might be a good fit so far, yes?  Well, sadly, it sounds like the answer is “no,” regardless.  Over the weekend, Atwell appeared at the Heroes and Villains Fanfest in London, and during a Q&A session, she was asked about the possibility of her taking on the role.  She answered, in no uncertain terms:

“I don’t want to play [the part]. No. It’s just not my thing, but I really respect it. I’m a big fan of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, though. She plays the lead in ‘Fleabag.’ There were talks of her being the next Doctor, and she’s so funny and eccentric and unique; she’d be great. I can’t really see anyone other than her playing it.”

So, that effectively puts a cap on that, friends: Hayley Atwell will only be the next Doctor in fanfiction, sadly, as the hunt for the next real-life Doctor continues.

‘Doctor Who’ currently airs on Saturday evenings on BBC America here in the US.

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Tony Schaab wonders where Green Rangers come from – I guess if a Yellow Ranger and a Blue Ranger love each other very much… A lover of most things sci-fi and horror, Tony is an author by day and a DJ by night. Come hang out with Tony on Twitter or follow him on Facebook to hear him spew semi-funny nonsense and get your opportunity to finally put him in his place.