Casting The Next James Bond Actor

No Time To Die marks Daniel Craig’s final movie performance as James Bond, but which actor should take his place to become 007 number 7?

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Now that Daniel Craig’s final chapter is written, which actor should star in the next James Bond movie? For over 50 years, playing James Bond job has been one of the acting industry’s most prestigious gigs, leaving a legacy that only seems to get stronger with each incarnation. Sean Connery paved the way with 1962’s Dr. No, and was briefly replaced by George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Live & Let Die marked the beginning of Roger Moore’s prolific run, while Timothy Dalton embraced 007’s darker side in 1987’s The Living Daylights. Pierce Brosnan’s era started strongly with Goldeneye, but desperately needed reinvention by the time Daniel Craig took over in 2006.

Craig breathed new life into 007 with a more modern, realistic approach to the character, and across a 5-film arc, audiences have watched James evolve from a bitter rookie proving a point, into a bitter veteran with nothing to prove whatsoever. No Time To Die brings the Daniel Craig years to a definitive conclusion, and Bond 26 will reimagine Britain’s suavest spy once again, moving away from Casino Royale continuity into a fresh 007 narrative. Who’ll be playing James Bond when that happens is the all-important question. Eon will shortly begin (if it hasn’t already) casting Bond no. 007, and there’s no clear frontrunner.

Names on everyone’s martini-soaked lips include Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Regé-Jean Page. Naturally, plenty other famous – and, indeed, not so famous – actors also have the tools, experience, and looks to steer the James Bond franchise into the future, and successfully navigate the daunting task of following Daniel Craig, widely considered the best since Sean Connery. These are our picks for the next 007.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Whenever names like Cavill, Elba and Hardy are thrown around the Bond conversation, their fame is the biggest drawback. No James Bond actor has been a bona fide star before taking the 007 role, and Eon seem unlikely to break that tradition. The same accusation could be aimed toward Chiwetel Ejiofor who, with nominations from every major awards institution, is not exactly an up-and-comer. Unlike the aforementioned trio, however, Ejiofor has never previously been the face of a major blockbuster franchise, allowing him to narrowly squeeze past the “too famous for Bond” question. That’s fantastic news for Eon, as Ejiofor is a ready-made James Bond whose impressive catalog of credits already contains everything a prospective 007 needs.

With an Oscar-nominated performance in 12 Years A Slave under his belt, Ejiofor would likely be the most accomplished actor to assume the Bond mantle since Timothy Dalton, and acting chops will be vital in the post-Daniel Craig era. In the 1960s, Sean Connery and George Lazenby were cast more for their looks, demeanor and charisma than their thespian credentials, but those days are over. Daniel Craig brought new depth to the role, and his successor needs to continue making Bond more than an action hero. In so many roles, Chiwetel Ejifor is characterized by his stoic calmness, often with an inner rage bubbling beneath the surface. It’s not hard to see how those qualities could translate to a secret agent – unruffled, effortlessly cool, but only one bad day away from snapping. For those doubting Ejiofor’s action prowess, a villainous turn in Children of Men, an FBI agent in Secret in their Eyes, and a Navy SEAL in Triple 9 provide a more-than-solid backbone.

Luke Pasqualino

As successful as Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies have been, the era has, for many, erred too far toward the gritty and grimy side of espionage, losing the charm and fun Connery, Moore and Brosnan all brought to the table. There’s a school of thought among certain James Bond fans that Daniel Craig’s successor should dial back the intensity without returning to the overblown camp of Octopussy, Die Another Day, and Moonraker. For that task, Luke Pasqualino would be an astute pick. Breaking out in teen comedy-drama Skins as Freddie McClair, Pasqualino played a casual, romantic protagonist determined to do the right thing – not especially Bond-ian, but certainly a good indication of Pasqualino’s leading man ability.

As an adult in BBC’s The Musketeers, Luke Pasqualino played d’Artagnan, swashbuckling from one adventure to the next and providing the titular trio with their maverick moral compass. Even more recently, Pasqualino earned praise for bringing British Special Forces Captain Elvis Harte to life in Our Girl, echoing the military past that underpins Ian Fleming’s 007. Bring all of these disparate elements together, and Luke Pasqualino could be the “spy with a smile” many James Bond fans have missed during the Daniel Craig era – someone who takes their work seriously, but doesn’t look like they’d rather be anywhere else.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd

Since Daniel Craig has nailed the modern Bond formula so effectively, some believe 007’s next iteration should shy away from the 2020s completely, and instead return to the original 1960s setting that made Ian Fleming’s creation famous. The old-fashioned environment would be a first for the James Bond franchise and a palette-cleanser after 5 films of unflinching modernism. The Man From UNCLE remake (starring Henry Cavill, incidentally) proved such a format could work, and the less savory elements of the period (i.e. rampant discrimination on all levels) can be addressed with a 2021 mindset. Casting a 1960s James Bond, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd outmaneuvers his rivals to the front of the smartly-dressed queue.

Most famous for playing Townes in The Queen’s Gambit, Fortune-Lloyd conveys that same self-aware upper-class status James Bond exudes in many of his forms – privileged and from wealth, but completely likable and almost apologetic about his background. The manner in which Townes seductively romances Anya Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon is a page ripped straight from the James Bond playbook, and it’s barely a stretch to envision Fortune-Lloyd with a gun in his hand where a pawn used to be. Interestingly, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd began as a stage actor, making his bones in Shakespeare and other classics. Such experience mirrors the path of Timothy Dalton, who also swapped The Bard for Bond.

Damson Idris

With so much attention on one Idris getting measured for his new tuxedo, another might’ve been unfairly overlooked. One of the lesser-known names on this list, Damson Idris is everything Eon typically look for in a James Bond actor – toward the beginning of his career, and available to sign for multiple movies before their Hollywood stock increases. Idris first caught audience attention following a striking performance in Black Mirror’s “Smithereens.” Though Andrew Scott did the heavy lifting for that episode, Idris’ Jaden caught the eye as a relatable, morally-conscious protagonist who evoked viewer sympathy and made the most of his supporting part. However, it’s Netflix’s 2021 movie, Outside The Wire, where Damson Idris really demonstrates his potential as a future 007.

Despite the futuristic sci-fi setting and premise, Outside The Wire demands the heavy burden of action and drama in equal measure from its leading duo of Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris. Despite his relative inexperience compared to the MCU’s Falcon, Idris matches Mackie blow-for-blow, and feels naturally at home among the expensive production and glut of explosions. After No Time To Die wrapped a bow on Daniel Craig’s James Bond continuity, 007’s story will begin again in his next cinematic adventure. Damson Idris represents a younger, realistic Bond that can grow into the role just as Daniel Craig did, and continue his predecessor’s mission to make Ian Fleming’s character more human.

Tom Cullen

You’d be hard-pressed to find a James Bond fan who looks at Tom Cullen and doesn’t see 007’s steely eyes staring back. Put Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan’s faces into a blender, and something vaguely resembling Tom Cullen would come out (though we don’t recommend trying it for yourself). But this ain’t no lookalike competition and, fortunately, the Welsh actor has shown more than enough in his career to prove suitable for bigger, Bond-shaped things. In his Downton Abbey role as Lord Gillingham, everything from Cullen’s ever-so-British speech pattern to his self-effacing private school charm are screaming James Bond, and if Russian terrorists ever did invade the Earl of Grantham’s Edwardian estate, you’d be forgiven for thinking Gillingham might pull a Walther PPK from his jacket pocket and save the day.

Cullen’s James Bond could exist in either a modern or traditional setting, and would scratch an itch for those who dearly miss the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Even in the 14th century era of Knightfall, Tom Cullen still comes across as a James Bond desperately trying to escape. His character, Sir Landry, is a tough-as-nails, take no prisoners type who isn’t afraid to get his hands bloody, or march into battle when the odds are stacked against him.

Elizabeth Debicki

Eon’s Barbara Broccoli (who calls the shots alongside Michael G. Wilson) recently debunked the idea of a female actor leading the James Bond franchise, and her sentiments were echoed by Daniel Craig, who claimed women should get their own Bond-like characters to play. Those attitudes miss the wider point about a female Bond, and it’s not quite as simple as conjuring up another iconic 60-year series from thin air. There’s a century of Hollywood patriarchy to break down, and established franchises such as James Bond will be far more effective in doing that compared to low-budget original IPs. Not to mention, widening the casting criteria can help keep 007 fresh as he heads toward the grand age of 70. Though there are many exciting possibilities – Lara Pulver, Hayley Atwell, Ruth Wilson – Elizabeth Debicki is best placed to give James Bond an extra X chromosome.

In the likes of Tenet and The Night Manager, Debicki stayed close to the espionage action of John David Washington and Tom Hiddleston, respectively, but was kept at arm’s length by virtue of being the typical damsel in distress (her characters in each are remarkably similar, incidentally). That’s a shame, because with her ice cold demeanor and unique blend of sparkling wit meets tenacious grit, Elizabeth Debicki would make an ideal lead for a future James Bond film. Her role in the climax of Tenet, an undercover time-bending assassination, gives a small hint at what Debicki could do if her character was the one saving the day.

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