EVER since Daniel Craig confirmed that he'd be retiring as 007, rumours and speculation about the next James Bond have taken over.
We take a look at the latest odds of who the next hunky man to take old the role might be.
Daniel Craig has played Bond in four films since 2006 - Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.
He has confirmed he will be bowing out after he does one more film.
Here are the latest odds on which actor will take over as the next 007 as supplied by William Hill..
New favourite Tom Hiddleston, 37, shot to fame when he starred in Thor alongside Chris Hemsworth as Loki.
Following an incredible performance in BBC's The Night Manager, many have queried whether he could be selected to be cast as the new spy.
When asked about the rumours on a panel in Philadelphia, he said: 'I don’t think that announcement is coming, but I am very gratified to hear the enthusiasm. Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest.'
Richard Madden, 32, is best known for playing Robb Stark in the HBO series Game Of Thrones.
He is considered to be a serious contender for the role after impressing the film's executive producer Barbara Broccoli.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: 'It’s seriously looking like he [Madden] is going to get the job.
'Not only is he on top of Barbara’s list, but she is preparing to offer the role.'
The 42-year-old Irishman has shot up in the rankings as he becomes more likely to be the next James Bond.
Starring in gangster drama Peaky Blinders upped his profile and he's become on of TV's most loved anti-heroes.
Even Bond star Naomi Harris said she can 'totally see' Murphy in the prestigious role.
James Norton, 33, is best known for playing the lead role of Sidney Chambers in Grantchester.
His Hollywood credentials were launched with a role in the BBC's 2016 drama War and Peace, and have continued to grow with a lead role in 2017's Flatliners.
However, he has told people 'not to bet on him' as he doubts he would get the role and continued to deny rumours he was in the running.
Idris Elba has been linked to James Bond since the rumour mill began, and it's easy to see why.
The 46-year-old Londoner has an impressive CV, appearing in the much-loved TV series Luther as well as big screen blockbusters The Jungle Book, Mandela and Bastille Day.
According to The Independent, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg threw his weight behind the claims, saying he would love to see Elba as the first 'Bond of colour'.
Sinhala joke full movie download. Tom Hardy, 41, is no stranger to the big screen having appeared recently in Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, The Dark Knight Rises and Legend.
The British actor starred in the BBC series Taboo and has fuelled Bond rumours after refusing to comment on whether he would like to take over from Daniel Craig, for fear of jinxing his chance.
His odds were slashed when it was revealed that the have-a-go hero turned into a real life Bond and chased a motorbike thief through the streets of Richmond and made a citizen's arrest.
Aidan Turner, 35, is best known for playing Ross in the period drama Poldark.
He started his career on stage but soon found fame on the big screen after appearing in The Hobbit trilogy.
He took the lead in Bond odds in August 2016, and in 2018 he stepped out of the sea in an episode of Poldark which was compared to Daniel Craig's iconic Bond scene.
Henry Cavill, 35, has previously admitted that he would 'love' to be the next James Bond.
The British actor has played Superman since 2013 but it was reported in September 2018 that he was leaving the role.
He can certainly play a smooth operating spy, as proved when he took on the role of Napoleon Solo in Guy Ritchie's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
After the front-runners, there are also some outsiders that are in the running to become Bond.
These famous names include:
This is a list of actors who were considered for the role of James Bond, both officially (auditioned by the film producers) and unofficially (supported by fans and celebrities) but did not play the role of agent 007. The separate list of James Bond films details the actors who have played the role of agent 007.
Actors who have come under consideration for the role of James Bond but were not chosen.
Actor | Year | Reason |
---|---|---|
Trevor Howard | 1961 | Sean Connery was chosen. |
Stanley Baker | 1961 | Would not commit to a three-picture contract.[citation needed] |
Rex Harrison | 1962 | Turned down in favour of Connery.[1] |
David Niven | 1962 | Turned down in favour of Connery (later played Bond in the 1967 parody Casino Royale) (Fleming's personal choice).[1] |
Richard Todd | 1962 | Ian Fleming's first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it.[2] |
Jeremy Brett | 1967 | Reason unknown.[3] |
Peter Purves | 1967 | Prior to becoming a Blue Peter presenter, Purves auditioned for the role of 007 but was unsuccessful and later dumped by his agent.[4] |
Michael Caine | 1967 | Didn't want typecasting in spy films, having previously starred in the three 'Harry Palmer' spy films. |
Robert Campbell | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene.[5] |
Dick van Dyke | 1967 | His poor 'English' accent failed to appeal to producer Albert R. Broccoli.[6] |
Patrick Mower | 1967 | Reason unknown.[7] |
Daniel Pilon | 1967 | Harry Saltzman felt he was too young, 27 years at time.[8] |
John Richardson | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene.[5] |
Anthony Rogers | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene.[5] |
Terence Stamp | 1967 | His ideas for the future films felt too radical for producer Harry Saltzman.[9] |
Hans De Vries | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene.[5] |
Eric Braeden | 1968 | Albert R. Broccoli at first, thought he was British and so considered him.[clarification needed] But it was Broccoli's belief that no one from outside the Commonwealth would be suitable as James Bond.[10] |
Peter Snow | 1968 | Auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but was rejected by Broccoli and Saltzman for being too tall (6 ft 5in).[11] |
Oliver Reed | 1969 | Producers did not want to spend the time or money needed to reshape Reed's poor public image.[12] |
Timothy Dalton | 1969–1972 | He thought himself too young and did not wish to follow Connery. Would decline the role again in 1979, before finally being cast in 1986. |
Roger Green | 1970 | Turned down in favour of Connery (auditioned and filmed for Diamonds Are Forever) (Filmed audition with Imogen Hassall).[1] |
Simon Dee | 1971 | Put forward to follow Sean Connery, despite being thought of by most people as a chat show host, rather than an actor.[13] |
William Gaunt | 1971 | Auditioned for the role as Bond for Live and Let Die but lost the role to Roger Moore. |
John Gavin | 1971, 1973 | Was offered the role as the first American Bond after George Lazenby quit, but lost out when Sean Connery decided to return to the role instead. Gavin was considered again for Live and Let Die, but was denied as producers felt Bond should remain English. |
Simon Oates | 1971, 1973 | Was strongly considered but turned down when Sean Connery returned; was working on other projects when Roger Moore was selected.[14] |
Ranulph Fiennes | 1972 | For having 'hands too big and a face like a farmer'.[15] |
Peter Laughton | 1972 | Broccoli remarked that he would have been chosen had he auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, following the casting of Lazenby, the producers were wary of choosing actors with limited or no acting experience and decided to settle with Moore.[16] |
Guy Peters | 1972 | The producers wanted to cast an actor with a 'known face'.[17] |
Timothy Dalton | 1979 | Turned the role down for a second time as he did not like the direction the series was taking. Would eventually be cast in 1986 for The Living Daylights. |
David Warbeck | 1979 | Acting considered too 'wooden'.[18] |
Michael Jayston | 1980 | Role up for grabs when Roger Moore was considering quitting but Moore returned.[19] Jayston eventually portrayed the character in 1990 for a two-part BBC radio drama.[20] |
Patrick Mower | 1980 | Auditioned when Roger Moore was considering quitting, but Moore returned[19] |
Lewis Collins | 1982 | Collins claims the producers thought he was too aggressive.[21] |
Ian Ogilvy | 1983 | Roger Moore agreed to return. |
James Brolin | 1983 | Screen-tested for Octopussy, Was lined up for the part, even going so far as buying a house in London for the production, before Roger Moore once again agreed to return. |
Pierce Brosnan | 1986 | Became front runner for The Living Daylights after Timothy Dalton could not take the part due to his commitment to Brenda Starr. However, Brosnan's option to star in a further series of Remington Steele was taken up by NBC, and EON refused to have him do both Steele and Bond at the same time. Fortuitously, Dalton became freed up at just that time, and so reaccepted the role, which he played until 1989. Brosnan would later play Bond from GoldenEye through to Die Another Day. |
Daniel Pilon | 1986 | Timothy Dalton was chosen for the role.[22] |
Sam Neill | 1986 | Although he impressed producers as Reilly, Ace of Spies, Neill lost out to Timothy Dalton for this iteration of Bond. |
Antony Hamilton | 1986 | Was in negotiations with the producers before Timothy Dalton was chosen. |
Mel Gibson | 1987 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wanted him for the role, but was rejected by Albert. R. Broccoli for not being British. |
Christopher Lambert | 1987 | French accent prevented him from being chosen.[23] |
Neil Dickson | 1987 | Timothy Dalton was chosen. |
Mark Greenstreet | 1987 | Told Terry Wogan in an interview that he was given a screen test for Bond but lost out to Timothy Dalton. |
Finlay Light | 1987 | The little-known Australianmodel was one of the main contenders for the role in The Living Daylights, even signing a ten-year contract. Timothy Dalton was chosen anyway. |
Andrew Clarke | 1987 | One of the most popular Australian actors of the 1980s, Clarke was considered but lost out to Dalton. |
Simon MacCorkindale | 1987 | Timothy Dalton was chosen. |
Sean Bean | 1994 | Was the second choice for EON if Timothy Dalton did not return; however, MGM overruled on both counts, and Pierce Brosnan was given the part. The producers were still impressed, and gave him the part of the villain Trevelyan, rewritten from the mentor part it originally was, to become a direct parallel of Bond as Agent 006. |
Mark Frankel | 1994 | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role.[24] |
Paul McGann | 1994 | Was given an audition and did impress producers; however, MGM still insisted on Pierce Brosnan for the role, but it was believed that McGann would have stepped in if Brosnan turned down the role. |
Lambert Wilson | 1994 | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role.[25] |
Henry Cavill | 2005 | The preferred choice of director Martin Campbell; however, was deemed too young to portray Bond.[26] |
Sam Worthington | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role.[26] |
Rupert Friend | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role.[27] |
Julian McMahon | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role.[28] |
Alex O'Loughlin | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. References to Bond were featured in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 during the first season. The seventh and eighth seasons of the rebooted Hawaii Five-0 feature a recurring MI6 agent portrayed by Chris Vance (as MI6 agent Harry Langford) in 3 episodes.[29] |
Clive Owen | 2005 | The producers were unwilling to provide gross profit points.[30] |
Dougray Scott | 2005 | Reason unknown.[31] |
Goran Višnjić | 2005 | Reason unknown.[26] |
Actors who have come under consideration for the role of James Bond but have declined the offer for various reasons.
Actor | Year considered | Reason |
---|---|---|
Richard Burton | 1959, 1961, 1968 | Felt the role was a new untested concept,[32] and wanted more than the producers would pay.[33] |
Cary Grant | 1961 | Felt he was too old at time being 58; also just wanted to do one film.[34] |
Richard Johnson | 1961 | Terence Young's choice but did not want a contract, because he was under contract to MGM.[35] |
James Mason | 1961 | Offered a three-picture contract but only agreed to do two; turned down the role. Mason was later selected to play the villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker, but the part eventually went to Michael Lonsdale in order to satisfy the requirements of an Anglo-French co-production under the 1965–79 film treaty. |
Patrick McGoohan | 1961 | Felt the role was too promiscuous. |
Rod Taylor | 1961 | Felt the role was beneath him.[36] |
Steve Reeves[37] | 1962 | Wanted more money than the producers would offer. |
John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan | 1967 | Declined an offer from Albert R. Broccoli to screen test him for the role after he decided not to pursue acting. Would later become infamous when he vanished after his children's nanny was murdered. |
Clint Eastwood | 1970 | Felt Bond must be British.[38][39] |
Michael Gambon | 1970 | Felt he did not have good enough looks to play Bond.[40] |
Burt Reynolds | 1970 | Felt Bond must be British.[41] |
Adam West | 1970 | Felt Bond must be British. |
Jon Finch | 1972[42] | Did not want it[42][43] |
Liam Neeson | 1994 | Not interested in starring in action movies.[44] However, in reality, his girlfriend wouldn't have married him if he took the role.[45] |
Dominic West | 2005 | Heard a rumour that Pierce Brosnan would return and ruled himself out[46] |
Both Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan were linked to the role at least a decade before taking it but declined for various reasons.
Dalton was offered the role in 1967 at the age of 21 and finally took the role 20 years later. Dalton denied the offer again in 1979 because he felt the plot directions of the Bond films were becoming less realistic and more dependent on gadgetry and repeated plot formulas.
Both Roger Moore and Dalton also did not accept the role for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, feeling that they did not want to be viewed as the man who replaced Sean Connery. Pierce Brosnan was chosen as Bond for The Living Daylights, but had to leave the role because the show Remington Steele How to download xex menu xbox 360. had been renewed, as Brosnan played the lead role. The role then went to Dalton. Brosnan made his debut as Bond in GoldenEye.
The following actors were considered for the role of James Bond, but were cast as supporting or opposing characters.
Actor | Years auditioned/considered | Film | Character | Affiliation |
---|---|---|---|---|
George Baker | 1962 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Sir Hillary Bray Captain Benson | College professor Royal Navy |
Michael Billington | 1968, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1983 | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Sergei Barsov (KGB agent Anya Amasova's lover) | KGB |
Julian Glover[47] | 1979 | For Your Eyes Only (1981) | Aristotle Kristatos | MI6/KGB (double agent) |
Sean Bean | 1987, 1994 | GoldenEye (1995) | Alec Trevelyan | Former MI6 agent 006 turned villain |
Ralph Fiennes | 1994, 2004 | Skyfall (2012) | Gareth Mallory/M | MI6 |
Colin Salmon[48] | 2004 | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002) | Charles Robinson | MI6 |
Colin Salmon was also rumoured to be one of many actors to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, a role that would go to Daniel Craig. Had he been chosen for the role, Salmon would have been the first black Bond. Brosnan has backed Salmon as a possible successor to Craig.[49]