10 Actors Who Could Play The Next James Bond
The dust on Spectre has finally settled and the eyes of the Bond loving world are turning towards Bond 25. And it's looking a lot like Daniel Craig won't be involved.
Back with Casino Royale, Craig took on a character that looked dead in the water and somehow dragged him kicking and screaming into the modern age. While the quality of the subsequent films has varied, the legacy of the character (and the franchise) is still something that can only be handled by the absolute cream of the acting crop.
Beyond the plot, beyond the gadgets, and beyond the theme tune, the casting of the next James Bond is the key to ensuring the continued success of the franchise. A man who has been seen in so many incarnations since first being typed out by Ian Fleming offers so many different things to so many different fans, and any actor playing the role needs to honour every facet of the character that's come before him, whilst bringing enough to the table to leave his own mark.
It takes a brave man to even contemplate it, but a serious look at the current crop of talent suggests there might be a few who could do it.
#1. Damian Lewis
It's very easy to picture Damian Lewis as James Bond because he's spent most of his adult life doing it himself. From the natural British charm that oozes out of his every pore, to finding almost any excuse to be pictured wearing a tuxedo, if it turned out Lewis was using his acting job as a front to travel the world for MI6 nobody would really be surprised.
He can do action too of course. His part in Band Of Brothers gave him an air of courageous vulnerability and a man bound by duty as things were exploding around him, whereas he actually killed a man with his bare hands in Homeland, so that's all bases covered.
#2. Idris Elba
Fans have been rooting for Idris Elba to be the new James Bond years before Spectre was even released. He has more than proved that he can lose himself in any role, whether it be a child soldier general or a drug dealer. Fans think it's time for a black James Bond, but that could be what has turned Elba away from the part. He has said that he doesn't want to be known as just "the black James Bond." While he has a valid point, it would help break stereotypes and create a more diverse universesomething that the series hasn't done a great job with. If you don't think that Elba would be right for the part, watch him in BBC's Lutheryou'll soon be convinced.
#3. Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy One of the most respected and unpredictable British actors to rise to prominence this past decade, Hardy has long been considered a very likely successor to Daniel Craig. Given his uncompromising acting style, he could be a risky choice plus, with ‘Mad Max' getting sequels he already has one iconic franchise to his name.
#4. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender Another of the most acclaimed new stars of the past decade, the German-Irish actor certainly seems suave and dangerous enough for Bond but is he already a little too well-known, particularly given his fame as the young Magneto in the ‘X-Men' movies?
#5. James McAvoy
James McAvoy Well, he's Scottish, he's got the right first name, and recent years have proven him to be a formidable leading man. But does the ‘X-Men' actor necessarily have the suaveness and machismo for the next 007?
#6. Rupert Friend
Currently starring in Homeland as the enigmatic and deadly Peter Quinn, an elite CIA black-ops agent, means it's not difficult to imagine the 34-year-old Oxfordshire-born star as 007.
#7. David Oyelowo
David Oyelowo If a one-time Nelson Mandela actor can be considered for 007, why not a one-time Martin Luther King? Oyelowo as Bond would again be bold colour-blind casting, and the ‘Selma' actor has the advantage of not yet being quite so well known as many other contenders; a new Bond typically requires a degree of anonymity going in.
#8. Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston He came from nowhere to steal hearts (not to mention scenes) in abundance playing Loki in the Marvel-verse, and his upcoming role in ‘Crimson Peak' will further boost his sex symbol status. Even so, it's fair to say his particular brand of charisma and sex appeal isn't quite the none-more-manly variety we expect from 007.
#9. Jack O'Connell
Not so very long ago Jack O'Connell was sleeping rough in London so he could afford to attend auditions. Now though, and partly thanks to Angelina Jolie of all people, he's suddenly become Hollywood real estate and shacking up with Cara Delevingne.
At just 24 years of age he's still far too young to be considered an obvious successor to Daniel Craig, but that's under the assumption that the filmmakers see the next Bond as someone who'll just slip easily into the set up character.
But when Craig hangs up his Walther (still probably not until sometime in 2018, remember), it might be time for another aspiring actor to reinvent the role, and a diamond-in-the-rough style Bond emerging from his war service and moving into the murky world of international espionage would be a smart way to do that.
Consensus already is that O'Connell is an incredible talent, and if a new direction for Bond is what's required then there could be few as well qualified to do it.
#10 Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill has flirted with Bond and was Martin Campbell's first choice for ‘Casino Royale,' but was passed over for being too young. He's since found big screen success in ‘Man of Steel' so he may be too established in one iconic franchise to take on another.
