Who should (and shouldn’t) be the next James Bond?

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It has been the question on everyone’s mind since Daniel Craig hung up his tux five years ago: who will be the next James Bond?

Denis Villeneuve, director of the upcoming Bond film, has reportedly managed to whittle it down to a few top contenders.

There are six in the running, if Page Six is to be believed – Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Jack Barton and Australia’s Jacob Elordi – who have already auditioned for the coveted role.

Could it be another suave British gent such as Turner? Or perhaps a more roguish character like Dickinson? Or maybe Amazon MGM, which recently bought the Bond franchise from the Broccoli family, could go in an entirely new direction and pick a woman.

All we know for certain is that, whatever decision the producers make, it will be a massive deal. After all, there hasn’t been a new 007 in more than two decades. With the final result shrouded in mystery, members of this masthead’s Culture team round up their top – and most unhinged – guesses about who could become the next Bond.

Nell Geraets, culture reporter

Who will be the next James Bond? Callum Turner

Ian Fleming surely manifested Callum Turner from beyond the grave. He’s British, tall (but not bizarrely so), effortlessly charming and has impeccable bone structure. His endearing ears then offer the je ne sais quoi – that zest that sets him apart, just as every 007 agent should.

And bonus points if his wife, pop sensation Dua Lipa, cameos as one of the new Bond girls. Surely, everyone would love to see her walk out of the ocean in slow motion.

Who should be the next James Bond? Idris Elba

Elba has made it abundantly clear he won’t be the next 007, going so far as to say some audiences simply aren’t ready for a black Bond, and that we shouldn’t “try and make it woke”. But despite his protestations, I still think Elba would be the perfect new superspy.

From Beast and Luther to the Fast & Furious franchise, he’s proved himself a worthy action actor with a penchant for grit. There’s probably no room in the world he couldn’t command, particularly with that deep, gravelly voice of his. And even if he’s not into the idea, a black Bond could help update a franchise, born in the 1950s, otherwise at risk of going stale.

Who’s your wildcard? Cate Blanchett

A female 007? Hell yes. An Australian female 007? Sign me up immediately. Blanchett’s piercing, unyielding gaze and her sharp wit would make for a wonderful secret agent. Her intoxicatingly charming voice alone has the licence to kill.

Though some believe she would make a fabulous master villain instead, her natural elegance and icy sophistication scream Bond. Her turn as intelligence operative Kathryn Woodhouse in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag last year was beyond believable. Just imagine her dressed in an impeccably tailored suit with a martini in hand. Exquisite.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Jacob Elordi

I don’t care how tall Jacob Elordi is, he ain’t my Bond. I enjoy him as an actor (I didn’t even hate “Wuthering Heights”), but 007 cannot be a “pretty boy”.

His energy is too youthful, “boy band” and quasi-intellectual to be considered a solid superspy. He lacks the suave charm needed to blend into a room while somehow also commanding it. I also see his face and immediately think of Nate from Euphoria – more villain than hero. I like my Bond rugged, not pristine.

Kerrie O’Brien, senior culture writer

Who will be the next James Bond? Jack Lowden

Lowden showed his best failed-spy-makes-good chops in Slow Horses, and his interest in history in the BBC’s War & Peace, which launched him into global fame. He’s a great actor and, particularly for die-hard Ian Fleming fans, fits the bill perfectly. He would also bring a vulnerability not often explored in Bond – before Daniel Craig at least – so that would shake things up nicely.

Who should be the next James Bond? Paapa Essiedu

British actor Paapa Essiedu, hands down – he is mesmerising on screen. Best known for on-screen roles in I May Destroy You – about consent, trauma and recovery – and Falling, in which he plays a priest struggling with his vocation and alcoholism, he started his career in theatre.

At 36, Essiedu has played a hip-hopping Hamlet (for the Royal Shakespeare Company), won an Olivier Award (for his role in All My Sons) and will take on Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter remake. Nailing 007 would be a cinch.

Who’s your wildcard? Gillian Anderson

Asked recently about the rumours she wishes were true about herself, Gillian Anderson told Elle she would love to take on 007. “I’d still have a gun … and I’d be a great collector of women,” she quipped.

Having made her mark as FBI special agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, playing a spy is no stretch; she would just be swapping teams across the ditch and using a British accent. She grew up between the US and Britain, and that gorgeously cultured voice is part of her DNA; the perennial twinkle in her eye would also prove an asset in a stunning reimagining of the role.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Tom Holland

One of few contenders for the iconic role who has shown his hand about being keen, Holland told Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast a few years ago he would be mad for it. “Ultimately, as a young British lad who loves cinema, I’d love to be James Bond. I’m just putting that out there,” the 30-year-old said. “I look pretty good in a suit.”

That’s a hard agree from me, but there are only so many legendary characters to go around – step aside Peter Parker and son of Odysseus, and let someone else take the spotlight in their perfectly tailored threads.

Garry Maddox, senior writer

Who will be the next James Bond? Paul Mescal, George MacKay or Harris Dickinson

It would be fascinating if it wasn’t, but it’s likely the new 007 will be a strong actor who is white, in his 30s (so he won’t age out of the role too quickly), speaks English as his first language, and has a certain physicality.

Since he broke through with Incendies in 2010, Denis Villeneuve has cast both stars who command the screen and diverse and interesting actors, so he might well look beyond the obvious candidates for Bond. After all, Daniel Craig was a surprise last time round.

But the producers will be mindful the new film will have to work around the world. The likely scale probably means playing into what will be expected of the character: Anglo, good-looking, dapper.

Who should be the next James Bond? Jacob Elordi

He’s a terrific actor, as his Oscar nomination for Frankenstein shows. He looks the part, can play action, romance and drama, and will be 30 when they shoot the new Bond film next year.

I have to disagree with Nell’s view that his energy is too youthful and “boy band”. He grew out of that with The Narrow Road To the Deep North.

Is his height a problem? They can work around it. Can he deliver Bond’s dry asides? George Lazenby – not the world’s greatest actor – did in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, so I’m sure Elordi, who has hosted Saturday Night Live, will be fine.

Who’s your wildcard? Austin Butler

He was an out-of-the-box pick in Elvis. He can act, has got rugged good looks and can do accents. He’d be worth auditioning.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Anyone who stars in a superhero franchise

I’m guessing the new 007 will need to be available for at least three films and possibly a smaller role in a spin-off TV series (centring on Q could work, or even M) so that Amazon gets the most value from acquiring Bond. That would be a clash for actors locked into multiple Marvel and DC instalments.

Robert Pattinson is a good enough actor, but he’s still Batmanning. And no to Tom Holland now, though he could work post Spider-Man when he is less boyish.

Elizabeth Flux, arts editor, The Age

Who will be the next James Bond? Callum Turner

Yeah, OK, he’s on the favourites list for a reason, but the thing about the favourites list is that it is boring. They’re favourites because we can already see any of them playing James Bond because they fit into the bullet hole of what’s come before. Sigh. Why bother? This is not a potshot at him specifically. It’s just that Turner is the safest bet on a list of safe bets – he’s at the right point in his career (well known but not pigeonholed) and an actor who would do a nice, solid job. It’s just not a very exciting prospect.

Who should be the next James Bond? Rufus Sewell

Rufus Sewell is criminally underrated as an actor and has been languishing in the only-allowed-to-play-villains corner for far too long. He has the range, experience and the charisma to bring us a Bond with a deeper sense of danger, and who – like Daniel Craig – would push the character further, rather than simply being an elevated copy-paste-competent-reprisal.

Who’s your wildcard? Christopher Chung

Best known for playing computer genius douchebag Roddy Ho in Slow Horses, most recently Chung has been on our screens in the new adaptation of My Brilliant Career. Genuinely, I think he would be a brilliant Bond. He’s convincing in every role he takes on. He can be suave and funny, and while he doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter shape of the Bonds that have come before him, once you start thinking of him as a potential 007, it just all makes sense.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Callum Turner

Or any of the favourites really (OK, maybe Jack Lowden can stay). When something is as iconic and well loved as James Bond, people will come and see it. It also means that there’s an opportunity there to do something different – we already have a bunch of Bond films, so if we’re going to make more, they shouldn’t be more of the same. Bring in a wildcard or a risky choice. Push the character in a different direction. If the same names keep popping up as obvious choices, then they are too obvious.

Louise Rugendyke, TV editor

Who will be the next James Bond? Jack Lowden

No question. He’s Scottish, like Sean Connery, and has the action chops via Slow Horses, in which he plays hopeless spy River Cartwright, and he’ll soon have the heartthrob credentials when he appears as Mr Darcy in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Who should be the next James Bond? Jack Lowden

I’m not budging on this.

Who’s your wildcard? Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Imagine if they had a female Bond. Waller-Bridge co-wrote Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 in 2021’s No Time to Die, and the ace thriller Killing Eve, so let’s put her in a suit and get on with it.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Jacob Elordi

I like him as an actor, but he is too tall. He’d make a great villain, and bad guys always get to have more fun.

Debbie Cuthbertson, culture news editor

Who should be Bond? Riz Ahmed

Just for the knowing wink to Ahmed’s brilliant series Bait (in which his alter ego, struggling actor Shah Latif, auditions to replace Daniel Craig in the franchise, sparking fevered speculation about the possibility of a “brown Bond”). He’d be a refreshing change from the other candidates.

Who should be the next James Bond? Jack Lowden

I’m with Kerrie and Louise, for all the reasons they articulate, but mainly just to have another Scot in the role.

Who’s your wild card: Hannah Waddingham

The Ted Lasso star displayed some mad action skills as an assassin in the recent series Ride or Die. As a glamazonian (Jane?) Bond, Waddingham could shake and stir the whole franchise.

Who shouldn’t be the next James Bond? Jacob Elordi

Elordi was so good in The Narrow Road To the Deep North that I’d hate to see him locked into one role for a decade or more.

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