Next James Bond: 5 Actors Who Are Perfect Casting Choices For 007

As of May 2026, Amazon MGM Studios has officially confirmed that auditions are underway to find the next James Bond. Daniel Craig — who starred in five films as Agent 007 — is officially done with the franchise. Now that Amazon MGM has taken over creative control of the Bond films from the Broccolis (Barbara Broccoli took over from her father as the franchise's shepherd), it's time to revamp the iconic British spy for a new era. The Bond franchise is not without its own history of disastrous casting, and Amazon will be under extra scrutiny for its decision now that the Broccolis have been pushed out. This is a huge decision, and one they're trusting casting director Nina Gold and film director Denis Villeneuve to nail. 

Dozens of names have been thrown out by fans, entertainment journalists, and industry insiders. According to online betting site Kalshi, Callum Turner ("Eternity") is the odds-on favorite to get the role right now, followed by Jacob Elordi ("Frankenstein") and Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kraven the Hunter"). It seems unlikely that an Australian actor would be chosen again for the role, even though Elordi has had a lot of buzz. Nearly every 007 actor has come from the United Kingdom, except for model George Lazenby, who is Australian, but also widely considered to be one of the worst actors to ever play James Bond. Aaron Taylor-Johnson also had a lot of buzz at one point, but nothing has been confirmed about any of these three actors. Let's take a look at some other actors who have been mentioned and would make much more interesting choices for the role.

Daniel Craig was a more athletic, less genteel departure from how James Bond had been depicted before he took up the role. When portrayed by actors like Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, and Roger Moore, James Bond has a more suave, put-together approach. It would be awesome to see James Bond played by a man of color, and interesting to see him return to a more gentlemanly demeanor. And the perfect man to achieve these goals is actor Regé-Jean Page. 

Page, who made a name for himself playing a high-brow heartthrob called the Duke of Hastings on Season 1 of Netflix's "Bridgerton," has proven himself capable of effortless elegance in the face of sensuality and conflict. As a paladin in "Dungeons & Dragons," Page also showed that he can do well with a more action-heavy role. He has an inherent confidence in anything he does that is both disarming and protective. In the role of Bond, Page would be the perfect man to dig deeply into the character as an archetype and find the vulnerability and intimacy that lie at the heart of a mostly stoic man.

Daniel Craig's Bond diverged more from the character's historical tradition (both from the books and from prior films) than any other before him. That said, Craig was still well in line with most of what makes James Bond, James Bond: He has natural charm and sex appeal, the ability to blend in in high-brow places, and cool-headedness in high-stress situations. These are things that Irish actor Barry Keoghan would be able to pull off as well, but Keoghan would also bring a lot of new elements to the role that have never been there before. 

Keoghan once almost lost his arm before shooting both of his breakout roles in "Dunkirk" and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," and that's partially because he's the kind of actor who lives at the more experimental end of the craft. He's the kind of actor who takes risks and plays strange roles, including his parts in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" and "Saltburn." Keoghan also has some experience with franchise work, as he was one of the leads in Marvel's "Eternals," in which he plays an edgy, but sexy, immortal being. Keoghan has the kind of appeal that's difficult to put into words, and his talent means he would be able to take the role of James Bond to places it's never been before. 

There are quite a few successful, attractive men in their 40s and 50s from the United Kingdom who have earned a lot of fans. From Idris Elba to Theo James, most of the first names brought up by fans when discussing who should play the next James Bond are actors who could easily be considered too old to pick up the role at the start of a new era for the character. Henry Cavill has long been a frontrunner according to all interested parties, and Cavill himself has said that he would love to take on the role. Or at least, he would have, when he auditioned for it at the same time as Craig. 

Of all of the more veteran actors that fans want for the role, Tom Hiddleston is the most interesting. Hiddleston already has a big franchise presence as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but the James Bond world is different enough from the MCU that Hiddleston could likely pick up the role with a fresh affect. In addition, Hiddleston would also be bringing many fans with him who may not have engaged with the James Bond films before. He easily plays characters who are dapper, erudite, and flirty, and while he is relatively thin, it's a lean, wiry thin, the kind of unassuming figure one might expect from a top secret spy. Hiddleston is 45, and his age is definitely the biggest count against him.  

Another man who stole the hearts of many thanks to a dreamy role on Netflix's "Bridgerton," Jonathan Bailey is a British actor whose career has blown up over the past few years. "Bridgerton" is a big part of what earned Bailey his mainstream fame, but Bailey had a rich career before he took up with Netflix. Like Daniel Craig, Bailey began his acting career in theaters on London's West End, and moved on from there to many indie screen projects and well-written, cult favorites like "Broadchurch" and "Crashing." It's no surprise that fans and experts alike have identified him as a great potential Bond. Craig and Bailey both have a kind of magnetic sexuality that is difficult to manufacture.

Bailey, who publicly came out as gay in 2018, is experienced in playing characters whose stories often explore complex questions and feelings about love and sexuality, and James Bond's sexuality is perhaps his most easily defined trait. Craig's Bond had real love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in "Casino Royale," and his films offered criticism of the disposable "Bond girl" archetype. Many of the movies have a long-term Bond girl who tends to live, and a short-term Bond girl who is often sacrificed to prove a film's stakes are real. With a lead like Jonathan Bailey, who has such a range of sexual appeal and acting experience, Bond's promiscuity could be explored and given nuanced attention.

George Lazenby was 29 years old when he played 007 in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and is the youngest person to ever play the role, with the rest ranging from 32 (Sean Connery) to 45 (Roger Moore) years old. It would be a subversive choice to cast someone in their 20s to play James Bond, but not necessarily a bad or unpopular one. One Reddit user wrote that they'd like to see the new Bond films start with a younger man: "Start at the very beginning with the death of his parents and him joining the secret service." With this in mind, it's a good time to consider Louis Partridge ("Enola Holmes"). 

Partridge, who is only 23 years old, has a lot of swagger for such a young person. He's at the point in his career where he's about to become huge, and he's already broken through in America and is a commonly cited "internet boyfriend." Partridge is handsome and would probably be the most conventionally beautiful person to play James Bond so far if he were cast. Thanks to his work in period pieces like "Enola Holmes" and "House of Guinness," he's made it clear that he's capable of fitting into a grittier landscape than his bone structure might suggest. Casting Partridge would be a bold choice, but that might be exactly what the franchise needs.