Who Will Be The Next James Bond?
James Bond is one of the most sought-after roles for any actor, particularly if that actor happens to be British and suave. But getting to say the lines "shaken, not stirred" is no walk in the park, and there's always huge speculation about which Bond will be next....as we enter October 2024, that speculation is only heating up.
Here, we look at all the 007 front-runners and fancy their chances to become Bond, James Bond.
Jamie Dornan
Pros: An Irish Bond would just be so fun, and Dornan has the looks and the acting range as well as the physicality to pull it off.
Cons: His association with 50 Shades of Grey may put off producers, who want to be able to have the audience only see James Bond when they look at the actor.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Sam Heughan
Pros: Sam Heughan has a massive and dedicated following thanks to his role in Outlander, but he's not a super household name—something Bond producers tend to like.
Cons: Heughan might get lost in the casting shuffle. He's a bit off the beaten path, but not in any super distinct way.
What We Think Of His Chances: Wild Card
Matt Smith
Pros: Currently starring as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon and with a background as the Doctor in Doctor Who, Matt Smith has the acting chops as well as the cheekbones to portray the dashing double agent.
Cons: Smith is maybe a little on the older end (he's in his early 40s) to kick off a new Bond era. More than that, he'd likely have to give up House of the Dragon to become James Bond.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
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Theo James
Pros: With a face like that, plus a very Bond-like role in Netflix's The Gentlemen, there's no way Theo James's name hasn't come up in the Bond boardrooms.
Cons: James doesn't seem to want the job. As he said in one interview, “I love some of the Sean Connery movies, but I think they need to do something else...They need to really go with a reinvention of it in a different way and that wouldn’t be me.”
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Richard Madden
Pros: Especially after his turn in The Bodyguard, there was all sorts of speculation that Bond people were approaching Richard Madden.
Cons: As always, speculation in the Bond-verse isn't necessarily a good thing, and in the years since the heat seems to have died down for Madden.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Cillian Murphy
Pros: Cillian Murphy is just such. a good. actor. and has the Oscar to prove it.
Cons: Patriotic British 007 just doesn't seem like this dyed-in-the-wool Irishman's thing.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dev Patel
Pros: People have been buzzing about Dev Patel as Bond for years now, and this only got louder after he released his action-packed Monkey Man. Plus, he has charisma in spades, and would be a reinvention for the franchise.
Cons: Patel has seemed gun-shy about jumping on the Bond train, and may be more into making his own films than slogging away for years on another person's set.
What We Think Of His Chances: High
Ariela Ortiz Barrantes, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Will Poulter
Pros: Will Poulter has bulked up and put himself on the action stage with a role in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 3, plus he's a noted Bond fan.
Cons: Though Poulter is in his early 30s and the right age for Bond producers, he just looks young.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Taron Egerton
Pros: Taron Egerton showed everyone his spy skills in the Kingsman series, and his name has been floating around for James Bond ever since, especially after his Oscar-worthy work in the Elton John biopic Rocketman.
Cons: Bond producers are notoriously fidgety when it comes to "big name" actors, especially if people keep saying they "should" be the next James Bond. At this point, Egerton might be too obvious.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Tom Holland
Pros: In classic Peter Parker fashion, Tom Holland has been candid about just how excited he'd be to be Bond, once saying, "I’d love to be James Bond. I’m just putting that out there. I look pretty good in a suit.”
Cons: Holland doesn't just look young, he is young. There's a sense his time, if it comes, will be next round.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Harris Dickinson
Pros: Harris Dickinson shot onto the scene with work in A Murder at the End of the World and The Kingsman, and he just looks extremely British.
Cons: He looks and is slightly too young.
What We Think Of His Chances: Maybe Next Time
Montclair Film Festival, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jacob Elordi
Pros: With projects like Priscilla and Euphoria, Jacob Elordi is surely the It-boy of the moment.
Cons: He's Australian, and quite young. Both aren't necessarily total dealbreakers in this new Bond era, but they will be obstacles.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
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Robert Pattinson
Pros: There's just something so watchable about Robert Pattinson, and he always makes the most interesting choices. He could do the same with Bond.
Cons: Pattinson is notoriously private and may not want the role.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Fabien Frankel
Pros: Fabien Frankel smoulders as a hunky guard in House of the Dragon, and has the right Bond looks. Plus, he's got a newcomer vibe Bond's production company tends to like.
Cons: In the end, Frankel might just be too new and untried for producers to trust he'll hold the whole weight of the franchise.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Tom Glynn-Carney
Pros: Tom Glynn-Carney is yet another exciting House of the Dragon actor, whose time as Aegon on the show has showcased his impressive acting range.
Cons: Like Fabien Frankel, Glynn-Carney might be a bit too "one to watch" for Bond.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tom Hiddleston
Pros: Everyone who watched it loved Tom Hiddleston's spy turn in The Night Manager, and he sure cuts an imposing figure in a tux.
Cons: Hiddleston's been rumored to be Bond for so long, it's hard not to see him as too obvious now. Plus, Bond owner Barbara Broccoli has reportedly called him "too posh."
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Jonathan Bailey
Pros: Bridgerton fans have long been on the joys of Jonathan Bailey. Dashing, with a glint in his eye, Bailey is the right age and type to play Bond, and comes with a built-in fandom.
Cons: Bailey seems to have leant into more indie and theatre roles in the wake of his success, and may not want the Bond shackles.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Tom Hardy
Pros: Tom Hardy was already supposedly a shoo-in for Bond, with rumors that he was The One coming out in September 2020, just before No Time to Die came out.
Cons: In the years since those heady days, Hardy's name seems to have taken a backseat in some of the speculation. Hardy himself has only said, "There’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting...that if you talk about it [Bond rumors], you’re automatically out of the race. So I can’t possibly comment on that one!”
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling to High
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Luke Evans
Pros: When GQ held a poll about the next Bond, the debonair Luke Evans was readers' top choice. More than that, Evans has that recognizable but not overexposed quality to his name that most Bonds have.
Cons: When it comes to professional bookies who bet on the next Bond (yes, this is a thing), for some reason Evans isn't high in the running.
What We Think Of His Chances: Wild Card
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Josh O'Connor
Pros: Josh O'Connor physically fits the description of Ian Fleming's Bond, but he also brings something a little strange and off-kilter to the screen, which could be perfect for Bond's reinvention.
Cons: O'Connor's film roles, which aren't very action-based, may spook some Bond producers.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
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Alan Ritchson
Pros: Reacher star Alan Ritchson would go even further into the "swole" era of Bond that Daniel Craig provided.
Cons: He's American and, more than that, he looks very American.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Anna Hanks, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Charles Melton
Pros: Charles Melton got lots of buzz for May December in the recent awards season, and he's got bone structure for days.
Cons: Also American!
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
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Barry Keoghan
Pros: After his diabolical turn in Saltburn and his emotional one in The Banshees of Inisherin, Barry Keoghan is the name on everyone's lips. (Plus there's his on-off relationship with Sabrina Carpenter).
Cons: It's kind of impossible not to see that he'd make a better Bond villain!
What We Think Of His Chances: Low on Bond, High on Bond Villain
Daryl McCormack
Pros: After work like Peaky Blinders, Vikings, and Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Daryl McCormack is ripe to become a household name.
Cons: He's just a tad young and inexperienced for the role.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Garfield
Pros: In recent years, Garfield has begun wearing suits like nobody's business, and he has the grace and charisma of the best Bonds.
Cons: Although he's gotten scruffier and more adult-looking as the years have passed, Garfield still gives off some of the Peter Parker nice-guy quality that won him the role of Spider-man way back when, and which doesn't match Bond's energy.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Damson Idris
Pros: Damson Idris is due to break out into a household name after he stars in the upcoming Brad Pitt Formula One movie. As a Black man, he also represents a new direction for Bond.
Cons: Time will still tell if the Bond franchise is ready for their first Black Bond, but that'll be no fault of Damson Idris, who has the goods.
What We Think Of His Chances: Wild Card
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Henry Golding
Pros: Henry Golding was plucked from practically the middle of nowhere to star as the romantic lead in Crazy Rich Asians, and his career (and suit-wearing skills) has exploded ever since.
Cons: Golding might come across as a tad too nice to be blowing up villains.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Paul Mescal
Pros: Who doesn't love Paul Mescal? The Irish actor would be a different direction for Bond, and he could certainly bring a sense of fun to the proceedings.
Cons: Producers may want to see him in grittier roles before giving him a shot at Bond.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Regé-Jean Page
Pros: Like Jonathan Bailey, Page comes with a built-in fan base thanks to his salivating turn as the Duke in the first season of Bridgerton.
Cons: Unfortunately, Bond producers have tended to go for the male gaze over the female, and Page's resume may seem a little too flowery for them.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Jamie Campbell Bower
Pros: After starring in The Mortal Instruments, Jamie Campbell Bower suffered from addiction, and only recently made his comeback in a much acclaimed role in Stranger Things. Now, that's a story that can't help but tug at your heartstrings.
Cons: Campbell's blonde looks and reedy frame aren't necessarily qualities Bond producers have gone for frequently in the past.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
German Comic Con, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Austin Butler
Pros: After playing Elvis and then Feyd-Rautha in Dune, Austin Butler rocketed to Hollywood fame and acclaim, and he has the suave looks Bond producers adore.
Cons: He's not British...but we all know he can do and keep an accent.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
P. Lovell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Paapa Essiedu
Pros: Paapa Essiedu broke out in I May Destroy You, and no less than director Danny Boyle said he was one of his top Bonds.
Cons: Essiedu may still be too new.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
James Norton
Pros: As Diane Keaton said of Grantchester actor James Norton, "He's got everything that you need. First of all he's extremely attractive, very smart, he's well educated, and he's a fantastic actor. And he's sexy, right?
Cons: The name recognition just might not be there for him. Bond producers like to go with only relative unknowns.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Riz Ahmed
Pros: Riz Ahmed is an extremely versatile actor, with roles in The Night Of and Nightcrawler.
Cons: He doesn't seem to be on the Bond radar.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
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Nicholas Hoult
Pros: Nicholas Hoult may hit that sweet spot of some name recognition without total superstardom for the Bond producers, and he could bring something more delicate back into the role.
Cons: Isn't he maybe too pretty for a baddie-busting spy?
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Harry Styles
Pros: Harry Styles has mounds and mounds of fans, and is becoming more interested in acting with roles in Dunkirk and Don't Worry, Darling.
Cons: He still lacks acting experience, and is also currently tied up in Marvel movies.
What We Think Of His Chances: Low
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Pros: There has been so much industry paper-trail around Aaron Taylor-Johnson's chances, with The Sun once reporting he'd gone for a screen test with producers, and that they loved him. A March 2024 report even claimed he'd been formally offered the role.
Cons: While Taylor-Johnson is the massive odds-on favorite for the next Bond, all Bond-followers know it ain't over till it's over, and no announcement has been made as of this writing.
What We Think Of His Chances: Very High
OSCAR GONZALEZ FUENTES, Shutterstock
Idris Elba
Pros: Ah, Idris Elba. Practically the original "Is he the next Bond"? He has all the magnetism and stature of Bond, so it makes sense people have been begging him to be 007 for years.
Cons: At this point, Elba may have aged out of the role, or else become too obvious a choice, as sad as it is to think. He's also expressed only lukewarm interest in the part in the past.
What We Think Of His Chances: We Can Always Dream
Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Henry Cavill
Pros: All the actors on this list necessarily look great in a tux, but Henry Cavill looks like what an AI would spit out if you asked it to draw James Bond. Plus, he's proven he can do action in work like The Witcher. Besides, did you know that Cavill very nearly was James Bond? He and Daniel Craig were the final two options, and Craig only just edged him out in an audition.
Cons: Everything that makes Cavill the perfect Bond might be working against him. He's starred in his fair share of spy movies already, among them Argylle, where he plays a James Bond-esque character. This might give Cavill a "been there, done that" sense in an era where Bond producers say they're looking for reinvention.
What We Think Of His Chances: Middling
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