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Ever since Daniel Craig stepped down as James Bond in 2021, there has been huge speculation about who will play 007 next.
Every other week, the bookies are changing their odds and predicting who might be the next Casanova to fill in the shoes of the beloved icon.
Jack Lowden, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, and Theo James have all been front-runners for some time, but there’s been a recent twist in the tale.
Deadline confirmed that director Denis Villeneuve is looking for three things in the next 007: a man, a Brit, and an unknown,effectively ruining the bookies’ odds of the who’s who of major names in Hollywood.
As the director is looking for someone unknown, here’s a breakdown of some of Metro’s favourite actors we think should be in the running.
While some are arguably pretty famous, many aren’t currently in the conversation, or have made it big in the US – yet – and we think they need to be urgently considered.
Aaron Pierre
He’s British, ripped to the gods and already knows how to create a pulsating action sequence – there’s basically no reason why Aaron Pierre shouldn’t be the next James Bond.
Aaron first caught my attention when he starred in Netflix’s action blockbuster Rebel Ridge, which just won a Creative Arts Emmy and propelled him to his new status as Hollywood’s man-of-the-moment.
If you consider it his unofficial audition for Bond, he nailed it, with his scene-stealing charisma, air of mystery and ability to always save the day.
Since then, he’s taken on more of a wholesome role in Mufasa: The Lion King and rubbed shoulders with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
His career is just heating up, and, at the age of 31, there is more than enough time for Aaron to get comfortable in 007’s tux.
Alicia Adejobi, Entertainment Editor
Damson Idris
Damson Idris is my pick for James Bond – or basically any film ever going forward. Daniel did a great job with 007, but Damson has a sparkle in his eye that has been missing from the franchise for a while.
After outshining Brad Pitt in F1, he has proved that he can handle a proper blockbuster and would be right at home in the front seat of a swanky sports car. He would also add some genuine cheekiness to the role and bring some much-needed levity back to the franchise after the slightly more serious adventures we’ve been on with the superspy lately.
When asked about the possibility that he could helm future 007s, he recently coyly said on the Today Show: ‘I’m already James Bond’. We need to make this happen – even just for the opportunity to see Damson on the big screen, straightening up his tux (Prada, darling, of course), smoothly downing a martini after saving the world.
Rishma Dosani, US Assistant Entertainment Editor
Louis Partridge
At 22, Louis Partridge might be an incredibly unconventional pick for the MI6 agent, who has historically been played by middle-aged men.
But after watching the actor in the recently released House of Guinness (created by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight), I am convinced he could hold his own and command the screen.
His performance in that series felt well beyond his years, and after his role in the mystery film Enola Holmes, I’d love to see him take the next step and fight bad guys.
Pierra Willix, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Mia Goth
Mia Goth would make a thrilling and unconventional choice for the next James Bond precisely because she defies the polished, hyper-masculine archetype the role has historically embodied.
Known for her unforgettable performances in films like Pearl and Infinity Pool, she brings a raw, unsettling charisma that could reinvent Bond as a figure less about suave invulnerability and more about intensity, unpredictability, and edgy sensuality.
Casting Goth would not only shatter the long-standing gender barrier but also push the franchise into bold new territory, reflecting a modern appetite for risk-taking in blockbuster cinema.
Brooke Ivey Johnson, Assistant Entertainment Editor
Will Sharpe
Will Sharpe is best known for playing a nerdy cuckold in The White Lotus, an indie lover boy in Too Much and a mild-mannered tour guide in A Real Pain. The roles don’t exactly scream Bond, but you know what they do say? Versatile – which to me says he could be a perfect performer to take on the multi-faceted character and make it his own.
Some actors have been pegged to step into their role because fans loved seeing them play spies in other projects (cough, cough, looking at you, Jack Lowden in Slow Horses). But I want to see a completely new character, not a rehash of a previous role, which is what I think Will can bring to the franchise.
Additionally, he is very pretty. While Daniel Craig was obviously a fantastic Bond, I’m ready for another pretty boy Bond a la Pierce Brosnan, and I don’t feel sorry about that. Bond is supposed to be a bit of eye candy, but he also needs to have the acting chops to rip our hearts out and stamp on them with both feet. From what I’ve seen of Mr Sharpe, he’s more than capable of getting big laughs and big cries, which adds only another tick for me.
At 39, he is maybe a little bit older than a lot of other candidates, but he also looks about a decade younger than he is, so I feel he’d be safe for a decade-long stint if he was willing…
Laura Harman, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Dev Patel
Dev Patel has been my top pick to step into the role of James Bond long before showing off his action chops in the brilliant Monkey Man.
The former Skins star has said taking on the mantle of 007 would be ‘tokenistic’, but I disagree. Yes, it would mean a lot to the British Asian community to see Dev, who has Gujarati Indian heritage, take on the franchise, but this is more about giving him the flowers he deserves.
Dev has star power in both acting and directing, was previously a competitive martial artist, and his screen presence is unmatched. He might have already dismissed the role, but Dev still has my vote
Alana Anderson, Deputy Entertainment Editor
Callum Turner
When it was reported this week that Denis Villeneuve plans to cast an unknown British actor as the new 007 in the long-gestating Bond 26, it was the first time my interest was properly piqued in months. I honestly think it’s the only way to go when nearly four years have elapsed since Daniel Craig’s final film.
We’ve had 48 months of stale rumoured casting which has likely killed off any chance some of these candidates ever have had to be considered (sorry Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It’s also snuffed out the majority of people’s interest, let’s be real.
When the announcement comes in 2026, I want to need to Google the chosen actor’s credentials and be excited about what the Bond team has seen in him and how that will change the agent we know and love onscreen. I’ve also failed to be truly persuaded by any possible Bonds either in the bookies’ odds or thrown out there by fans and journalists as possible ‘wild cards’.
If I had to pick, I think it’s Callum Turner who comes closest for me – not only is he the right age, but he also ticks the tall, slim and good-looking boxes of Ian Fleming’s original character.
But most importantly, he’s capable of that cold, cruel edge that could convince me he’s a ruthless killer which almost every other ‘attractive and in his 30s’ well-known actor does not. Call that the ‘Bond factor’, if you will, which can be hard to explain but you know it when you see it.
Turner has it, but I think there’s someone out there who channels it even better.
Tori Brazier, Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter
Jack O’Connell
We all know Skins has produced some of the best actors of their generation, and that’s why Jack O’Connell is the perfect pick for the next James Bond.
For an actor Michael Caine once called the ‘star of the future’, he’s flown relatively under the radar until his recent performances in Sinners and 28 Years Later reignited the Jack hype.
007 would be a chance to break away from his bad boy archetype and delve into something a little more suave but still packing a punch. Plus, he’s got a relatively empty slate over the next few years if IMDb is correct.
Danni Scott, Entertainment Reporter
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