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Last year Daniel Craig hit the ‘eject’ button on his James Bond career with his fifth and final Bond film, No Time To Die.
Since Craig’s departure was confirmed, there has been much speculation regarding who the next 007 will be. So who is most likely to get the iconic British role next?
Any conversation about the next Bond always seems to include Tom Hardy. The star of The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road is one of his generation’s greatest actors and, if selected to play Bond, would likely bring an intensity to the role which viewers may feel is more similar to Daniel Craig than to the likes of Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan.
However, Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page is the bookies’ favourite.
Page would be a historic selection as the first black James Bond and, at the age of 34, is in the middle of the age range at which previous Bond actors have been cast.
Tom Holland is a contender but is just 26 years old, and at such a young age may struggle to handle the Martinis.
He’ll certainly be in the conversation to play Bond for the next couple of decades.
Whilst Idris Elba is still one of the favourites to play 007, the actor turns 50 this year and may have missed the boat.
If Elba were to hold the role for as long as Craig for example, he would be making Bond films well into his 60s. It’s less than ideal if 007 has to apply deep heat each time he runs after an international criminal.
Henry Cavil was second in the running when Daniel Craig was cast and is still very much in the picture.
His role in Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E was the perfect practice for playing Bond, and in 2020 an artificial intelligence device chose Cavil as the ideal successor for Craig, so he’s certainly got the gadgets on his side.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is another potential candidate, the 44 year old’s performance in 12 Years A Slave launched him to international stardom and he has since starred in films such as The Martian and The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.
Michael Fassbender is an outside choice for the role, the Irish actor is hugely respected and his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds encapsulated the suave ‘Britishness’ which is so heavily associated with 007.
Whoever is selected to play the next Bond will certainly have large shoes to fill, but there is undoubtedly a strong contingent of contenders.
