James Bond fans want to know who the next James Bond is and when the next film will finally go into production. It's been a while since No Time to Die brought Daniel Craig's run as the superspy to an end... but we might finally know which actor will be stepping into his shadow.
Late last year, producer Barbara Broccoli told The Guardian that the process of reinventing Bond for the next incarnation "hadn’t even begun" around the time the Bond-themed Prime Video challenge series 007: Road to a Million was airing.
In mid-March, it was widely reported been widely reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson — who had been touted as a frontrunner in the race to be Bond in the past — has been offered the role.
At the time,The Sun reported that Eon Productions was due to start shooting the next Bond movie later in 2024, and Taylor-Johnson was 'going to sign his contract in the coming days'.
Their source says: "Bond is Aaron's job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement".
Taylor-Johnson was recently quizzed by Numero Magazine about the rumors linking him to Bond. In response, he said: "I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment".
Since the rumors have gone round, a former 007 has offered his verdict on the rumored new star's involvement. Appearing on RTE Radio 1's "The Ray D'Arcy Show", Pierce Brosnan said he thought Aaron Taylor-Johnson 'has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond'.
Without a formal announcement, we're still in the dark when it comes to who's going to be the next James Bond. With that in mind, we've kept our list of other potential Bonds below, as there have been plenty of rumors about the role over the years.
Here are nine more actors we think could be in with a shot of being the next James Bond, besides the frontrunner.
Nine more stars who could be our next James Bond
Jamie Dornan
Irish actor Jamie Dornan responded to casting rumors that had included him in the running to be the next James Bond. Speaking to Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), Dornan, speaking before the release of Heart of Stone, revealed he didn't put much stake in the rumors.
"I've been in that conversation for a good couple of years now. Sometimes I'm more in that conversation than other times. It tends to be if you have a movie coming out."
Dornan showed his credentials off by playing a charming spy opposite Gal Gadot in the Netflix spy thriller. But Heart of Stone was panned by many reviewers and it's not clear if this will have ultimately helped his chances of landing Bond, assuming he'd like the part.
Idris Elba
Despite being considered of the potential frontrunners, it was reported in August 2022 that Idris Elba had "walked away" from being 007, with a source at the time claiming Idris 'wants to create something for himself' (via Metro), rather than take on the Bond mantle.
This prompted the following response from Bond boss Barbara Broccoli (in a Variety article): "The thing is, it's [casting] is going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it's a 10, 12-year commitment", she said. "So he's probably thinking, 'Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it], with fellow 007 producer Michael G. Wilson adding: "And he was in his early 30s at the time!"
Idris repeatedly played down any interest in playing the role, despite remaining one of the favorites for Craig's replacement. In February 2023 (ahead of the release of Luther: The Fallen Sun), he gave a pretty definitive final verdict: "You know, a lot of people talk about another character that beings with 'J' and ends with 'B', but I'm not going to be that guy. I'm going to be John Luther. That's who I am." (quote from the Independent).
Regé-Jean Page
Whilst Regé-Jean Page is probably most famous for playing the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton, he isn't just limited to period dramas.
Although Page downplayed rumors that he was in the running to be the next James Bond in the past, he's remained one of the many favorites to take up the mantle after Daniel Craig.
One of Page's upcoming projects might well be a great test to see if he's got what it takes to be the next James Bond. He's set to follow in the footsteps of the third Bond, Sir Roger Moore, and star as Simon Templar in a reboot of the British spy thriller series, The Saint, for Paramount, following his appearance in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
He's also recently appeared alongside Chris Evans, No Time to Die guest star Ana de Armas, and Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man, a Netflix thriller from Noah Hawley that saw ex-CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling) being hunted down by his former colleagues after he's betrayed by his agency.
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy has consistently been one of the frontrunners to play Bond next, and it's easy to see why he might be an obvious choice.
He's no stranger to filming action set-pieces having appeared in the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, and it's easy to picture him picking up where Craig left off.
With Craig's era at an end, the 007 producers will likely want to try and shake up the franchise a little bit going forward. Tom has a very strong background in crime drama— thanks in no small part to his key role in Peaky Blinders— so he could be a great choice if they want a darker, grittier tone in the next movie.
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill, who at the time of this update is the second favorite for the part, is most famous as the DC Universe's Superman and Geralt in The Witcher And Cavill is no stranger to espionage action.
He was a key player in Mission: Impossible – Fallout where he partnered with legendary action star Tom Cruise as SAC operative, August Walker. He also appeared in Guy Ritchie's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie and has recently starred in the first movie in Matthew Vaughn's spy franchise, Argylle.
What's more, Henry Cavill is definitely up for stepping into the Bond franchise if he can. He regularly shares how much he would love to be involved in the Bond franchise as either a hero or villain, and he even auditioned for the role before it went to Daniel Craig.
Aidan Turner
Poldark heartthrob Aidan Turner is another popular choice for the next James Bond. The Irish actor is well known for his lead role in the BBC period drama, though he's also well known for his turn as Kili, one of the dwarves in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy.
Turner is a few years younger than some of the other frontrunners, which could make him a popular choice as the Bond bosses will likely be looking for another actor to stay with one of cinema's longest-running franchises for several movies.
He was recently on our screens in The Suspect, a thriller from the team behind Line of Duty and Vigil.
Lashana Lynch
Lashana Lynch has already had a chance to prove her potential as the next Bond because she is a major player in No Time To Die.
Ahead of the film's November 2020 release date, Lashana Lynch was revealed to be taking on the 007 designation, making her the first female and first Black actor to have the iconic codename. Her character, Nomi received this honor sometime after Bond drove off with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) after the events of Spectre and went into retirement.
Whilst we still don't know whether a female Bond could be on the cards, Lashana Lynch's appearance as the new 007 in No Time To Die makes her a strong candidate for Craig's replacement.
Richard Madden
Richard Madden is thought to have been in the running for the next James Bond ever since he impressed as Police Sergeant David Budd in the gripping BBC drama, Bodyguard. At some point Bodyguard 2 is on the way.
Elsewhere, the Scottish actor is best known for playing Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, a just figure cruelly betrayed along with his with at the infamous "Red Wedding".
More recently, Richard Madden has become a Hollywood favorite, featuring in Rocketman, 1917 and he's now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the Eternals. As if that wasn't enough, his upcoming role in Citadel, an Amazon Studios spy thriller, is a perfect training ground for the next James Bond.
Gabriel Basso
Gabriel was a late addition after fronting the hugely popular Netflix thriller, The Night Agent as FBI agent, Peter Sutherland.
Whilst an American actor might not seem the most obvious choice for the next James Bond, it's not a huge stretch to imagine that 007 producers could be eyeing up Gabriel Basso, given he's a little younger and he's the star of the latest spy drama to take the streaming world by storm, right? If this seems a little far-fetched, we can still look forward to his return in The Night Agent season 2.
