Idris Elba and Damian Lewis remain firm favourites while James Norton has emerged as a contender following his acclaimed turn in the BBC’s hit War & Peace series.
Craig has commented on the rife speculation before, saying he “has the right to change his mind anytime he wants to” and will likely keep us all guessing for months or even years yet.
Here’s our pick of the strongest contenders:
Idris Elba
Plenty of Ian Fleming fans want The Wire actor to be the first black Bond, but that could be exactly what is putting him off. “I just don`t want to be the black James Bond,” he said. “Sean Connery wasn`t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn`t the blue-eyed James Bond so if I played him I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”
That`s not to say he isn’t humbled by the support, and we reckon he`d be a top choice.
Damian Lewis
It’s been rumoured that Homeland’s Lewis has signed up for the part. He joked in January that he “would tell you but would have to kill you”. Producers are set to start work on the next movie in Spring, so time is running out for an answer…
James Norton
Norton’s name was thrown into the ring recently, with bookies slashing odds on him playing 007 to 18/1. Appearances in Happy Valley, Grantchester and War & Peace have upped his chances.
Aidan Turner
Strong performances in Poldark and And Then There Were None made Turner a household name with his Irish charm and manly good looks. A fan favourite, for sure.
Tom Hardy
Hardy has bucket-loads of grit and has proved he can look mean and race cars fast in Mad Max: Fury Road. He also oozes cool, which any veritable Bond simply must do. Hardy`s a big hit with the public too, with 22 per cent of a 1000 Bond fans aged between 18 and 65 telling LeoVegas.com that they fancy him for the job. Vroom!
Henry Cavill
Casino Royale director Martin Campbell fancied Man of Steel actor Cavill for the part back in 2005 but he was eventually deemed too young for the role and it went to Craig instead. Meaning in a few years time he could be exactly what filmmakers are looking for. To repeat, the guy played Superman, so he`s got the ass-kicking thing down.
Tom Hiddleston
"I`d like to bring a certain British charm to the part," Hiddleston said when asked why he should be Bond. The Thor actor would be a unique choice and he`d definitely look dapper in a suit, but whether directors will back him to bring enough `oomph` remains to be seen.
Jason Statham
Statham is known for performing his own stunts, so prepare for more knee injuries should he be offered the role.
The Furious 7 actor certainly possesses buckets of enthusiasm. “Could I do it? Abso-f**king-lutely,” he told the Guardian. “Would I do it? Abso-f**king-lutely.”
Michael Fassbender
Fassbender is fast becoming a studio favourite and has a certain Sean Connery feel about him. He`s “flattered that people are sort of making that link” but is still rambling about not planning things ever because they never work and Craig doing a great job and him being in the middle of other things...blah blah blah.
Hugh Grant
He ticks the British box arguably more than any of the other contenders but considering he can`t really be arsed with acting much these days and we run the risk of hearing “Oopsy daisy!” muttered at inappropriate times a la Notting Hill, this is extremely unlikely.
“I might have been tempted ten years ago,” he told The Independent. “I do bring a natural menace to the screen so I`ve always been surprised that they never offered me the part.”
