The Next James Bond

 

Image Credit: IMDb

After waiting years to hear what’s next for the James Bond franchise after the end of Daniel Craig’s run as our favorite British spy in 2021’s No Time To Die, the news today is that Amazon has taken control of the franchise rights from longtime owners Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson for the cool figure of $8.5 billion. If you’ve read many of my posts over the years, you know I’m just a bit of a James Bond fan. I’ve ranked the films. I’ve ranked the theme songs. I’ve even suggested artists for the next theme song. Now I’m going to weigh in on who I think should be cast as the next James Bond. I don’t hold out much hope Mr. Bezos and his Amazon minions will heed this advice, after all this is the same corporation that delivered the tepid spy thriller All the Old Knives (2022) and cancelled The Peripheral (2022) after just one season, but a fanboy can dream, can’t he? Note, James Bond is typically cast in his mid to late 30s in order to give him both the proper amount of veteran presence while also enough time to do three to five films before he ages out of the role. This almost assuredly rules out favorites like Tom Hardy (48), Michael Fassbender (48), and Idris Elba (53). So, who’s left? Here are five top candidates:

Image Credit: Longines

Henry Cavill

Cavill is now 41 so the James Bond opportunity may have passed him by, but he’s definitely got tall, dark, handsome and British down pat. He’s also played Superman, the Witcher, Sherlock Holmes, and a host of other major roles. My guess is that he’s too obvious of a pick, but might he play England’s greatest spy next?

Image Credit: Shayan Asgharnia/For The Times

Theo James

At 40, James might also be a few years too old to get the nod, but if you’ve watched Guy Ritchie’s spinoff Netflix series The Gentlemen (2024), you probably know he can pull off the suave, dangerous Brit-type. He’s got plenty of experience, but he’s still enough of an unknown, he could be a good pick to follow in Craig’s footsteps.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nicholas Hoult

Hoult is 35, English, and he’s been starring in films since he was a kid including About a Boy alongside Hugh Grant in 2002. More recently he’s starred in Nosferatu (2024), Renfield (2023), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and several of the X-Men movies. He’s got the talent and the action chops to play the part, but he still strikes me as more of sidekick than a leading man.

Image Credit: Pascal Le Segretain for Getty Images

Jack Lowden

Lowden stars as River Cartwright in the excellent Apple TV+ series Slow Horses. The 34-year-old Scotsman has proven he can play a convincing (though much less intimidating) British spy in that series, but his resume might be a bit light for the part. Would Lowden put enough butts in seats to satisfy what will surely be a massive budget for the next film? I’m not convinced. 

Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

A year ago, I thought 34-year-old Taylor-Johnson was as close a thing to a shoe-in to be the next James Bond as we’re likely to find. Then he starred in Kraven the Hunter (2024), an absolute stinker of a comic book movie. Will that dud keep him from landing the part? We should find out soon. Based on his work in films like Bullet Train (2022) and Savages (2012) I still think he’s the top contender.