Gentlemen, rev your Aston Martins and start shaking those martinis, because a new James Bond is on the horizon. Menthol smoke has not yet started billowing out of MGM Studios – the traditional indication that the next 007 has been chosen – but the chatter suggests Daniel Craig’s replacement has been selected and a confirmation is imminent.
What does this mean for the future of the iconic British spy series and its upcoming 26th instalment? Information is limited, but here’s what we know so far.
When will the next James Bond be announced?
Despite several years of rumours and rebuttals, Bond 26 remains firmly in the pre-pre-production phase. ‘We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through,’ said EON producer Barbara Broccoli in June 2022. ‘There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.’
Well, that was an understatement. Nearly three years on and there’s no word of a script yet, let alone casting info and a shooting date.
Still, that’s not stopping anyone from investigating and speculating about what the new film will look like when it does arrive. Co-producer Michael G Wilson gave a few clues in 2022, suggesting that Bond 26 will be a hard reset for the franchise – and for Bond himself.
‘We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past,’ he told Deadline. ‘But trying to visualise it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a thirtysomething.’
At some point in the not-too-distance future, white smoke will come billowing out of EON’s metaphorical chimney and the identity of the new 007 will be revealed. Until that time comes, there’s a tonne of fun to be had in speculating who will commit near-on a decade to playing MI6’s finest.
Who will direct the new James Bond?
While Cary Fukunaga is still interested in directing the next Bond film, the end of Craig’s arc – and some unsavoury allegations from the set of No Time to Die – makes him an unlikely candidate. Other potential candidates included Danny Boyle, who was previously considered for No Time to Die, and Conclave’s Edward Berger, who squashed all rumours in a Deadline interview.
Leading the conversation is 12 Years a Slave and Blitz director Steve McQueen. The Sun quoted an unnamed source claiming that the Bond producers reached out to McQueen and got a positive response in return. The Oscar winner has not confirmed these rumours yet.
So, who might be 007 after Daniel Craig?
1. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Age: 33
Odds: 2/1
As of early 2025, the rumors about Aaron Taylor-Johnson becoming James Bond still remain unconfirmed. Broccoli and Wilson have also stayed silent on the tabloid speculation, and interest in the casting appears to have cooled. Throughout 2024, Taylor-Johnson himself avoided discussing Bond during the promotional tours for his two latest films: the poorly-received Kraven the Hunter, where he played the lead role, and Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu remake, in which he had a supporting part.
2. Theo James
Age: 40
Odds: 6/4
The Anglo-Greek actor broke through in the YA Divergent franchise a decade ago, but it’s his role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentleman that holds the clues as to why he’s riding high in the bookies’ odds list. Suave yet morally complex, he’s plays an aristocrat straight from the pages of Ian Fleming and looks like an actor who could bring wry Sean Connery vibes to the role of 007. One important person isn’t convinced, though – James himself. ‘I love some of the Sean Connery movies, but I think they need to do something else,’ he said in a 2023 interview. ‘Do you know what I mean? They need to really go with a reinvention of it in a different way and that wouldn’t be me.’
3. Stuart Martin
Age: 39
Odds: TBC
Rumours have it that Scottish actor Stuart Martin is the latest face to grace the Eon office for Bond 26. The actor initially broke out in 2014’s comedy-drama series Babylon and later portrayed Italian banker Lorenzo di Medici in the historical drama Medici: Masters of Florence. In films, he’s better known for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies. Standing at 6' 2" inches and sporting a rugged beard in most of his roles, Martin can continue the James Bond franchise’s tradition of plucking relatively obscure actors and turning them into household names. Nearly a year after the Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumours broke out, Martin has become an unlikely competitor in the race. If he gets the green light from Eon, he can be the second Scotsman to play the British spy after the late Sean Connery.
4. James Norton
Age: 38
Current odds: 4/1
If he gets the role, the magnificently-haired Yorkshireman-turned-Londoner would represent the most luxuriantly-maned Bond since Brosnan. And the rumour mill has had him firmly in the running since McMafia and War and Peace first introduced the UK’s living rooms to him. Most of his best work so far has been on the stage or small screen – in the BBC’s crime series Happy Valley and recent ITV thriller Playing Nice – although he put in an eye-catching performance in 2020’s Stalin-era journalism drama Mr Jones.
5. Josh O’ Connor
Age: 34
Odds: 9/4
After Taylor-Johnson’s rumoured casting, there’s a new British heartthrob bleeping on MI6’s radar. While Josh O’Connor proved his refined Britishness as King (then Prince) Charles in The Crown, the actor dominated 2024 with his sweaty turn as a tennis player in Challengers. In the same year, he also won over arthouse audiences as a ‘thinking man’s Indiana Jones’ in the Italian adventure La Chimera. O’Connor’s next gig is with ex-007 Daniel Craig himself, as he’ll be appearing alongside Craig’s Benoit Blanc in the third Knives Out movie.
At 34, the same age as Taylor-Johnson, O’Connor’s odds increased particularly last December when The Hollywood Reporter touted him as ‘an English actor poised on the cusp of superstardom — familiar to audiences but not too familiar’. O’Connor’s 007 would still be a far cry from the previous Bonds like the gritty Craig or the suave Brosnan, courtesy of his boyish charm and wide-toothed grin. But if there’s one thing that 2024 proved, it's that Hollywood’s emerging breed of ‘rodent men’ can be sexy too. O’Connor already has an athletic physique. Now, with a bit of his Challengers stubble and some more gruffness, he can hopefully appeal to producer Michael G Wilson who is insistent on an older Bond.
6. Jack Lowden
Age: 34
Odds: 8/1
Scottish actors have made decent Bonds before and if the hype building around Jack Lowden has any basis in reality, they may be about to again. Slow Horses is a perfect application for the job, if the new Mr Saoirse Ronan happens to be interested in putting himself forward. As a gifted spy sent into exile and subjected to the gruff, abrasive mentorship of Gary Oldman’s spymaster, he’s more than persuasive in both the action scenes and at the spycraft. He’d make a less visceral Bond than Daniel Craig’s iteration but if Bond 26 does go in a more cerebral direction, he’s surely be a shout.
7. Paul Mescal
Age: 28
Odds: 7/1
Normal People heartthrob Paul Mescal won over everyone with his teary-eyed energy in Aftersun and All of Us Strangers. Beyond his emotionally vulnerable characters, the Irish actor also leaped to big-budget cinema as the lead in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. If he can pull off a Roman toga that well, what challenge is Bond’s tuxedo? A 2023 report by The Irish Sun hinted at Mescal being in talks for Bond, a rumour that has had no updates till now.
If Mescal did get the role, it would make him the second Irish Bond after Pierce Brosnan. But it seems unlikely that Mescal would be interested in joining ‘His Majesty’s Secret Service’. When Variety asked about meeting the King at the Gladiator II premiere, Mescal said: ‘I'm Irish, so it's not on the list of priorities.’ Perhaps that straightforward response should quell all Bond rumours.
8. Callum Turner
Age: 34
Odds: 9/1
Currently a tabloid obsession thanks to his relationship with Dua Lipa, Londoner Callum Turner has the charisma and chameleonic skillset to take on the mantle of Britain’s most famous fictional spy (with apologies to any George Smiley stans out there). He’s been eye-catching as an American pilot in Masters of the Air and as a rakish Russian prince in the BBC’s opulent War and Peace series, but feels like an actor awaiting his big breakthrough role. Could James Bond be that role?
9. Henry Cavill
Age: 40
Odds: 12/1
Hot on his heels is the ex-Man of Steel, Henry Cavill. The Londoner’s recent conscious uncoupling from Superman and the DC universe – and to lesser extent, his departure from Netflix’s smash hit series The Witcher – suddenly leaves space on his schedule for the kind of heavy-lifting (and publicity duties) demanded by playing Ian Fleming’s legendary spy.
Sure enough, bookies have Cavill at 5/2 second favourite to put those reloadable arms into service for King and Country.
10. Regé-Jean Page
Age: 35
Odds: 16/1
If EON wanted to immediately convert an army of Bridgerton fans to the charms of the James Bond franchise, it would immediately cast one-time Ton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page.
And aside from the seismic impact of casting an actor of colour as James Bond, Page is a fast-rising performer whose magnetism will be on show on the big screen this summer in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves alongside Star Trek’s Chris Pine. Will that represent James Bond and James Kirk sharing a screen? Bookies have him at 16/1 for the Bond role.
11. Aidan Turner
Age: 41
Odds: 25/1
One-time Poldark saucepot Aidan Turner would be the second Irishman to play 007 if he landed the gig. And like Pierce Brosnan, he packs a tonne of charm under a self-contained exterior. Will his relative lack of big-screen experience rule him out?
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12. Tom Hardy
Age: 47
Current odds: 50/1
The Venom and Peaky Blinders star has been linked with the role since long before it was actually available. But at 47, he doesn’t seem to fit the profile Michael G Wilson has set out of a ‘thirtysomething’ actor. Then again, a conversation around the new Bond can hardly not involve Hardy’s name. He helped turbo-charge Mad Max: Fury Road, despite having about seven words to say, and his suave spy in Inception was a stellar 007 audition. If EON is looking for a beefy badass with soulful vibes and serious acting craft, Hardy could be the guy. He might insist on wearing a mask, though.
13. Chiwetel Ejiofor
Age: 47
Odds: 50/1
Back in 2014, there were strong rumours that 12 Years a Slave actor Chiwetel Ejiofor would be playing a Bond villain in Spectre. That never came to pass, theoretically leaving the Londoner in the shake-up to play 007. Naomie Harris is in favour – and no Bond ever got anywhere without Moneypenny on board – but his age would seem to count against him.
14. Dan Stevens
Age: 42
Odds: 50/1
Suave, charming and a big cricket lover, Dan Stevens seems like the kind of James Bond that Ian Fleming might have cast. Scratch a bit deeper, though, and there’s a darker edge to the one-time Downton Abbey actor. Check out 2014’s terrific neon-tinged action-thriller The Guest if you have any doubts he could do all the nastier stuff Bond gets up to between saving his country and annoying M.
15. Idris Elba
Age: 52
Odds: n/a
It’s not going to be Idris. We should all probably stop asking him about it now.
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