Who Will Be the Next James Bond? Every Actor Who’s Talked About It, Ranked from Most to Least Likely

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson became a presumptive frontrunner for the franchise when, in March 2022, The Sun reported he had the role “should he wish to accept it.” The Nosferatu actor has been masterfully dodging questions about the franchise since.

At the New York City premiere of his superhero movie Kraven the Hunter last December, Taylor-Johnson laughed when Entertainment Tonight asked about his reaction to fans wanting him to step into Bond’s crime-fighting shoes.

“I would say. Come see Kraven because that’s what out this weekend and it’s not going to disappoint,” the actor coyly said. “I promise you that, guys.”

Regé-Jean Page

Regé-Jean Page’s name got mixed into the conversation after his ultra-sexy turn as the Duke of Hastings on Bridgerton back in 2020 made him a household name overnight.

“It’s a conversation people are having, and it’s terribly flattering that they’re having it. I leave them to it,” he said to Vanity Fair of the speculation.

Asked whether or not he would take on the role, Page responded, “I have no idea. It’s not a thing that is fully occupying my thoughts. I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment. I worry about the work I have, not other people’s jobs.”

Joe Alwyn

While attending the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, Joe Alywn was asked whether he’d consider taking the role.

“Who wouldn’t throw their hat in the ring? You know?” he told Variety’s Marc Malkin.

As for how he takes his martinis, shaken or stirred, The Brutalist actor responded, “I like both. I do, I do.”  A relatable (potential) Bond.

Josh O’Connor

Josh O’Connor may have willed himself into the conversation, but hey, who’s complaining? After the internet ran wild with a joke he made, the Challengers actor found himself having to quell the excitement.

“I have no thoughts, really,” he told Deadline back in January. “The truth is that … I think in the space of a week, I made a joke about, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I played Bond?’ Then, me and Daniel [Craig] did an Actors on Actors, and then something else happened, and then suddenly I was James Bond. If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.”

Theo James

To fans of his films and the James Bond franchise, Theo James is a top choice for the role. To his friends the idea is comical.

“There is no narrative among my friends because they would say, ‘You? Are you joking?'” he told Josh Horowitz, adding, “The adage was, ‘Oh, yeah. You’d be the first Bond-opolis. The Greek Bond with hummus,” referring to his Greek heritage (full name: Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis).

Paul Mescal

When Paul Mescal first said he would be open to playing James Bond back in 2020, his star was still rising and the idea was so farfetched, it didn’t “seem like a real thing.”

Now, with blockbusters such as Gladiator II and All of Us Strangers under his belt, his odds are as good as anyone on this list.

Richard Madden

Richard Madden was also an early contender and much like the other gents on this list, he kept his response short and sweet when asked about the role at Cannes back in 2019.

“It’s very flattering to be involved in that conversation at all,” the Game of Thrones alum said. “But it’s all just talk and I’m sure next week it will be someone else.”

Dev Patel

While fans would love to see Patel chase down bad guys, the Harrow native isn’t interested in taking on a role that hasn’t historically represented people who look like him. Instead, he has expressed interest in creating his own lane versus competing for the role.

Last year, Patel released Monkey Man, an action thriller he co-wrote, directed and starred in. The film was met with much praise, even garnering a standing ovation when it premiered at SXSW. The catalyst behind the film was the lack of representation he saw.

“I was so frustrated in not being represented in action films,” he told the BBC Asian Network. “When I started writing this 10 years ago, the only roles I was getting offered were to be the comedy sidekick or to be the guy who hack the mainframe for the big, cool guy.”

“I wanted to broaden our horizons so that we’re all not fighting over just James Bond. I wanted to create our own stories,” he continued. “No, I don’t want to be James Bond, I want to be Monkey Man.”

Idris Elba

Perhaps no one’s name has lasted longer in this conversation than Idris Elba. And while he expressed he was flattered by the fact that people wanted to see him in the role, once the conversation became about race, the opportunity soured a bit for him.

“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered,” said while on the SmartLess podcast.

“Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense and I got the brunt of it.”

Pierce Brosnan

If there is a way to make it work, Pierce Brosnan would happily step into 007’s shoes again.

“I’ve heard of that,” Brosnan told GQ of the idea that he should return to playing Bond. “Of course, how could I not be interested?”

But, he continued, “It’s a delicate situation now. I think it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, really … It’s a rather romantic notion and idea, but I think everything changes, everything falls apart. I think that it’s best left to another man, really. Fresh blood.”

Brosnan portrayed Bond in four movies between 1995 and 2002.

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig played the super spy in five movies — Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die — from 2006 to 2021, and that was more than enough for him, as his commitment to the series turned out to be more than he bargained for.

“I was driving away from the Berlin premiere of Casino Royale with Barbara Broccoli. I had genuinely thought I would do one Bond movie, then it would be over. But by then we knew we had a hit on our hands,” he told the U.K.’s The Times in 2022.

“I realized the enormity of it, so I said to Barbara, ‘How many more? Three? Four?’ She said, ‘Four!’ ” Craig added. “I said, ‘OK. Then can I kill him off?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ ”

And when it came time to “kill him off,” the English actor had no hesitations. “I said, ‘This is it. I don’t want to do any more,'” he told the outlet.