James Bond and all the king’s men: Here are the most popular 007 candidates for the role | PHOTOS

“No Time to Die” was outlined as the last adventure of Daniel Craig in the role of James Bonda void that has left a big question mark about who will be the next actor to take the place of agent 007.

The British actor was at the center of the famous spy saga for 16 years, beginning with the tape “Casino Royale” in 2006, to later star in “Quantum of Solace” (2008), “Skyfall” (2012), “Spectre” (2015) and finally saying goodbye with “No Time to Die” (2021). Before him, the world’s most famous spy has been played by actors like Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

The decision rests primarily with two people, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers behind the multi-billion dollar Bond franchise. And although as of October 2022 they confirmed that they have not yet cast a cast to replace Craig, they have already given us indications of what they are looking for for the next star of their franchise.

How should the new Bond be?

The first thing to know is that the actor who will play James Bond cannot be very young, but rather be in his third decade of life, as happened with Daniel Craig (38), George Lazenby (30) and Sean Connery ( 33).

“In the past we tried to consider younger people. But trying to visualize it, it doesn’t work. Remember that Bond is already a veteran. He has had some experience. He is a person who has been through wars, so to speak. He’s probably been part of the SAS or something.”, Wilson pointed out in conversation with Deadline. “He’s not some high school kid you can bring over and start. That’s why it works for a thirtysomething”.

Meanwhile, despite calls from some to nominate actresses for the role, the producers of the saga believe it would not be appropriate to cast a woman in the role of James Bond.

“I think it will be a man because I don’t think a woman should play James Bond”, affirmed Barbara Broccoli in dialogue with the Hollywood Reporter. “I think you have to make characters for women and not just that women play men’s roles. I think there are not enough roles for women, and it is very important to me that we make films for women about women.”.

Finally, the producer also pointed out that the actor should be British, noting that this refers to nationality and that the role can fall into any ethnicity or race.

The favorites

For much of 2021, the most vocal to become the new James Bond was British Idris Elba, known for starring in series such as “Luther”, as well as films such as “The Suicide Squad” (2021) and more recently the fantasy film “Three Thousand Years of Longing” (2022).

However, during an episode of the HBO program “The Shop” the British actor indicated that, despite the continuous requests of the public, “he doesn’t think that playing Bond is going to fulfill some of his personal goals. Although he pointed out that “it will definitely satisfy the will of a nation, I’m not going to lie. Every corner of the world I go to they always tell me: ‘Bond’. And I feel like he’s above me at this juncture.”

For those interested in seeing everything Idris Elba says about James Bond, check out the video at 20:40.

The James Bond producers have also spoken about the actor and his decision not to join the series, with Barbara Broccoli noting that it is partly due to the time investment involved in playing the character. “When we choose Bond, it will be a 10-12 year commitment. (Idris) is probably thinking ‘do I really want this?’ Not everyone wants them.”

With the most popular Bond candidate out of the running, other actors have also emerged as favorite options not only among fans, but also among bookmakers who are always looking for an excuse to speculate.

Perhaps the favorite of the bunch is henry cavillwho at 39 years old still remains in the favored range to play the famous spy, having played other iconic characters such as Superman and Sherlock Holmes. In a recent interview with the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cavill has also been open to the possibility of playing Bond, although noting that he has a busy schedule.

Known for his role in “Bridgerton”, Regé-Jean Page He is also another popular candidate for the role and, at 34, he is at the perfect age to show a new and less seasoned version of the super-spy. Now, one can say that the actor hasn’t had the prominence necessary for the much-coveted role, but in most cases playing Bond serves more as a vehicle to launch the person into stardom than landing a star.

Tom Hardy It is also another of the favorites to play Bond. The star of “Venom” and “Mad Max” is somewhat older than the agreed age (he is 45 years old), but it is an interesting option to take the secret agent elsewhere and even has the approval of Pierce Brosnan. Showing that the actor is not ruling out the possibility, the actor said in a 2017 interview that he could not comment on the matter because he would immediately pull him out of the race.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (32) is also one of the most popular candidates, although more over rumors that he impressed Barbara Broccoli during a secret audition last september. The actor is known for starring in films like “Kick-Ass”, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Godzilla”.

Chiwetel Ejiofor It is another of the possible successors, although like Hardy he has already exceeded the preferred age at 45 years old. What is not in doubt is his acting ability, going from the award-winning “12 Years a Slave” -which earned him an Oscar nomination- to more action films such as “The Old Guard” and “Doctor Strange”.

The last of the candidates that we are going to mention is James Norton (37), recognized outside of Great Britain for his role in “Little Women” (2019). The actor responded to the rumors in 2020 when he said they were “crazy, not real and speculative.” “There is no truth behind it, unless journalists know more than I do”. These responses did not prevent the actor from emerging as one of the possible successors.