New James Bond: these are the actors who should be the next 007

published 21 February 2025

It’s all change in the world of James Bond films. Amazon has taken creative control of the 007 franchise, taking the reins from the long-running custodians of the super spy, the Broccoli family. And now all bets are off as to who should be the next James Bond.

The first new actor to take the mantle in 20 years, following Daniel Craig’s groundbreaking take on the character, it’s a high pressure job for whoever gets the Double-O codename — and whoever is tasked with casting the role, too.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is considered a front runner for the job now, following rumours last year that he’d be taking up residence in the MI5 building.

But he was coy when questioned about the role, things have gone quiet in the proceeding months, and the Broccoli-Bond-Breakup has meant now anything is possible.

"Bond 26" is the code name for the upcoming James Bond flick. And that's virtually all we know about it so far.

Maybe a bold choice is in order, and Daniel Craig was perhaps a bolder pick that we now give the film-makers credit for.

In a recent interview, Casino Royale director Martin Campbell said he was initially just a little reticent to get Craig on-board.

"He was really a superb actor, there’s no doubt about that… it was the fact that with people like Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan was that they were all traditional looking Bonds. All handsome guys, all sexy, all very attractive to women and so forth," said Campbell.

"Daniel was obviously tougher and ruggeder, but he wasn’t a traditional handsome guy. So I just thought about that for a minute and apart from that, absolutely it was always him."

But what should the next Bond look like? If you feel as passionately about this as we do, then make sure you vote for your favourite future Bond below. You can also recommend your own Craig successor in the box at the bottom.

Next up, vote for the best James Bond film

Who should be the next James Bond?

The Bond we'd probably get if the world's girlfriends got the final say, Paul Mescal is hot property in Hollywood right now. Though his performance in Gladiator II got a mixed reception — not bad by any means, but a difficult space to fill after Russell Crowe's commanding earlier take — Mescal's heartbreaking spots in All of Us Strangers and Aftersun show he'd make a great choice if future Bond stories were to take us down an emotionally-charged avenue.Image Credit: Saviour Complex, Dead Oceans

According to news from The Express and other major outlets in summer of 2023, there's a new frontrunner for the Bond title according to the bookies: Paapa Essiedu. In fact, he was neck and neck with odds alongside Tom Hardy at the time of writing – though it's worth remembering these things change in minutes. Paapa is both Emmy and BAFTA nominated for his roles in Men, The Lazarus Project and I May Destroy You. If you've seen him in any of those roles you'll know he's already got the presence and magnetism needed to play Bond.Image credit: HBO Max

It feels like Elba would have been a frontrunner had Craig bowed out before No Time to Die, but the window may have now shut for the 47-year-old. That said, after taking the last few years to work on some smaller projects (also Cats, but we don’t need to dwell on that), there’s every chance the Londoner could be coaxed into a role which he has been linked with as frequently as Wesley Sneijder has been linked with Manchester United.Image credit: Luther, BBC Studios

The McMafia actor is a lot of bookmakers’ favourite for the role, and – to borrow a phrase from the political world – feels like a solid continuity candidate. Cambridge and RADA-educated, he’s the sort of Englishman that we imagine Americans picture when they think of Bond, and he’s roughly the same age Craig was when he took on the role for the first time. Also, importantly, he’s not too keenly associated with other film roles.Image Credit: McMafia, BBC

We are big fans of Ted Lasso Comedy Series and one of the main reasons is the brilliant Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein - he so good he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at this year's Emmys. Yes, he's already 41 so it would make him one of the oldest Bonds from the get go, but it would be AMAZING to see him in the part. Also, he's kind of got history with the character, playing him in a Spectre Of Shame comedy sketch, where the super spy takes a visit to Sex Addicts Anonymous.Image Credit: Ted Lasso, Apple TV Plus

Keeping with the Skins theme, and that’s before we even mention fellow Bond candidate Jack O’Connell, Hoult has gained a bit of traction with the bookies. Like Kaluuya, he is 30, which makes those of us who first saw him in About a Boy feel very old. The question mark isn’t his age, but rather his prettiness: could someone with his boyish good looks work as a spy, or would he give the game away by turning too many heads?Image credit: Tolkin, Allstar/Fox Searchlight

When casting a new Bond, there are often questions around how big a name or how long an acting CV the new star needs to have. You can be too much of an unknown, perhaps, but can you be too much of a household name too? Lewis’ name seems pertinent to this debate – will we be watching James Bond, or will we be watching Famous Actor Damian Lewis playing a spy? That said, his most famous roles coming on the small screen could work in his favour in this regard.Image Credit: Life, NBC

Daniel Kaluuya doesn’t do bad performances. He doesn’t really do bad films, either, but he’s often the best thing about them even when not in a lead role, as we witnessed in Black Panther. There’s no doubt the Londoner is enough of a chameleon to be magnetic in any role – yes, even Bond – but there’s still the age question. Not whether Kaluuya is too young at 30, but whether he’ll feel he’s not far along enough in his career.Image credit: Get Out, Universal Pictures

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Additional words: Gerald Lynch