Who Will be the Next James Bond? We Analyze The Contenders

We’ve heard Daniel Craig say, “Bond, James Bond” for the very last time and the speculation has ramped up once again as to who will take the reins, or should we say cars, guns and gadgets, for the next move in the franchise.

For many, particularly of a certain generation, Craig was the very best. As comfortable at the casino table in Casino Royale as riding a motorbike across a crumbling bridge, he was the soave action hero in the beautifully tailored suit. It’s a tough act to follow, and these are the main contenders…

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston’s time and place for James Bond has probably passed now and with the bookmakers he has been dropped down the list. That said, many fans are still touting him. We’re not entirely sure why. He just doesn’t fit. Think about it…

Sure he’s played Loki, but he’s not really the type to be battling hard in fights. In fact, if he took on Dave Bautista in Spectre like Craig’s Bond did, he’d have been snapped in two. Then there’s the casino. Yes, he’d look good in a tux, but we seem him more of the sort that’d enjoy a game of casino777 blackjack or craps in an online casino than a brick-and-mortar one. He’d have to take on Le Chiffre sat behind his laptop screen, Zooming the enemy from afar. It’s a no from us. Stick to playing with the lovely, friendly, regular set of players you find on the internet.

Idris Elba

Interestingly, Bond producers have said Idris Elba has been part of the conversation for the next Bond but it’s very much a mixed bag from fans. Elba is perhaps too old now to take on the role, but it would certainly make for an interesting casting.

If we were to get a Luther-like Bond we’d see a much darker version of 007 which might be the perfect follow up to such a touch act to follow in Craig.

Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill has perhaps already had his audition for the role of Bond in Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E, a movie in which he plays a character that couldn’t be even more Bond if he had his Martinis shaken and not stirred.

Cavill would be a solid appointment and you’d get more of a throwback Bond we think to the days of Connery and Moore. He has auditioned for the role before, missing out to Daniel Craig. Could it be his turn?

James Norton

Discussion about whether James Norton would be suited to the next Bond first came to light thanks to the BBC hit show McMafia, and that continues to keep him in the frame. He’d certainly be our pick, with an air of rugged sophistication about him.

However, he’s currently behind a number of actors with the bookmakers, with both Elba and Cavill above him, as well as a raft of others.

Best of the Rest

Elsewhere, both Tom Hardy and Rege-Jean Page are ahead of Norton with the oddsmakers, both of which would bring interesting variations on the secret agent. Hardy, again, may play a darker version of Bond while the rise of Page in Netflix show Bridgerton could see him shift to the front of the pack.

Richard Madden and Jamie Dornan are names certainly still in the hat, while outsiders now appear to be Jamie Bell, Tom Hopper and Sam Heughan, none of which we can see getting the nod for the next picture.