Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Aaron Pierre and Regé-Jean Page have all been rumoured to be in consideration to play James Bond in recent years

It’s now been four years since Daniel Craig’s departure from the James Bond franchise in No Time To Die – and somehow there’s still been no confirmation on who will be succeeding him as 007.

The last few months have seen some behind-the-scenes developments for the James Bond franchise, with a new creative team taking control and an Oscar-nominated filmmaker having now been chosen to direct the next instalment.

And yet, an actor playing Bond is still be to selected – at least officially.

Speculation about the next 007 stretches back to before Daniel Craig even hung up his gun, with new high-profile names constantly being added to the list of potential successors in the last few years.

Many have noted that as James Bond moves with the times, it would be fitting for producers to cast an actor of colour in the role, which outgoing producer Barbara Broccoli had expressed interest in (though she had also ruled out giving the part to a woman).

As we look ahead to the future of the James Bond franchise, here are 17 stars who’ve all been rumoured at some point to succeed Daniel Craig at the helm of the series...

Idris Elba

Who is he? Let’s start with the James Bond rumour that’s being going the longest – Idris’ acting credits include the Thor films, Beasts of No Nation the Fast & Furious series and the BBC detective drama Luther.

Where did the rumour come from? Idris has been rumoured to be in the running to play 007 for more than a decade (since the speculation began in 2014, there’ve been three new films in the series released), with leaked emails from Sony executives suggesting he was a favourite for the part. Following this, then-Bond boss Barbara Broccoli said Idris has been “part of the conversation” about who the role goes to next.

However, in August 2022 it was reported that Idris had made the decision to take himself out of the running – and in the last few years his casting has seemed less and less likely... although we’d kind of love it if he got the opportunity to play Bond at least once, given just how long he was associated with the franchise.

What has he said?“James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey. Of course, if someone said to me, ‘Do you want to play James Bond?,’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah!’. That’s fascinating to me.”

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Who is he? Aaron has been widely considered as the frontrunner for the role of James for more than a year now. His past credits include the superhero comedy Kick-Ass, the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.

More recently, he’s appeared in projects as varied as Marvel’s Kraven The Hunter, the arthouse horror flick Nosferatu and Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later.

Where did the rumour come from? In November 2022, Aaron supposedly met with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli (who has since left the franchise), with follow-up reports claiming the meeting “went well”.

More recently, in 2024, tabloid reports went as far as saying he’d been cast in the role, though this was walked back mere days later. However, the rumour mill has been in overdrive once again in recent history thanks to a series of clues pointing to Aaron playing 007.

What has he said? Nothing concrete just yet – but his skittishness when it comes to whether or not he’s playing James Bond has to count for something, right?

Aaron Pierre

Who is he? Another more........

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