James Bond speculation is a favourite pastime of both Brits and film fans alike, as we endure the agonising wait for a formal casting to be announced.
Since Daniel Craig completed his last assignment as 007 in 2021 with No Time to Die, we’ve survived three years of gossip and rumours with no confirmation as to who the new actor to take up the spy’s licence to kill could be.
This speculation has only intensified following an historic deal in which creative control of the franchise was handed to Amazon after Amazon Studios purchased MGM+ for $8.45billion (£6.7billion).
While Aaron Taylor-Johnson is still considered the favourite for the role, a source firmly denied his involvement in March when the speculation reached fever pitch.
In the months since, several new candidates have shaken up the Bond race too, as bookies and fans keep a sharp eye on rising talent and major new Netflix stars. Now, there’s a new Bond potential on the scene – Slow Horses star Jack Lowden.
The list of contenders for the role is drastically different to three years ago, when Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Game of Thrones and Marvel actor Richard Madden dominated the conversation.
So, who could be the next James Bond in 2024? Let’s take a look at the most likely bets…
Jack Lowden
Tornado and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden has become an unlikely favourite to become the next Bond.
His odds currently sit at 3/1, shooting up the list after previously sitting at 8/1 putting him above previous favourites Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill.
The 34-year-old Scottish actor is best known for his role as River Cartwright in thriller series Slow Horses as well as appearing in The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Dunkirk, and Mary Queen of Scots.
Lowden’s wife, Saoirse Ronan, thinks her husband has what it takes to play the superspy after expressing her interest to take on the role of a villain in the franchise.
When asked if Lowden could also play a villain or if he’d be a better Bond, she told the Happy Sad Confused podcast: ‘He should be Bond. If it’s a choice between the two.
‘Isn’t it nice that I’ve done that?’
James Norton
James Norton is another star who has experienced years of speculation surrounding the Bond role.
The Happy Valley star, who was nominated for a Bafta for playing the villainous Tommy Lee Royce in the hit series, boasts a 15-year onscreen career including roles in Doctor Who, McMafia, and War & Peace, as well as his long-term role as vicar Sidney Chambers in Grantchester between 2014 and 2019.
He has also appeared in movies like Mr Turner and Little Women opposite Emma Watson and Florence Pugh.
Norton, 38, even revealed what he could bring to the role back in 2021, ahead of No Time To Die’s release.
‘I’m a type one diabetic. How cool would it be to have a diabetic Bond?,’ he commented to Metro.
‘It would be wonderful for all those diabetic kids out there to think even a type one diabetic could be Bond! Other than that, I’d leave it to Daniel and the writers to carry on the legacy.’
The star also praised Craig for ‘re-defining it for a modern era and it’s this human role in a really wonderful way’.
He currently has odds of 3/1 from bookies.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s name has been on everyone’s lips most frequently in the Bond conversation in recent years.
The 34-year-old has been the hot favourite ever since it was reported in December 2022 that he had apparently shot the classic 007 gun barrel sequence that appears in the official opening for every Bond movie.
Taylor-Johnson, who will be seen in the lead role in Kraven the Hunter later this year, has understandably tired of the intense casting speculation since then.
When asked if he gets ‘sick of being asked about Bond’ at the Fall Guy premiere in April, the star sighed and responded, ‘Are you sick of asking the question?’.
If Taylor-Johnson has been given the role, he’s got strong support from his Back to Black filmmaker wife Sam Taylor-Johnson, as well as a former James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan.
His current odds are at 9/2, meaning it’s thought more likely to happen than not for him.
However, it’s Broccoli and her fellow producer and half-brother Michael G. Wilson who hold the power to anoint the new James Bond, regardless of who the public might want.
Henry Cavill
Now we approach the business end of proceedings and an actor who has been in contention to play the suave spy for possibly the longest of anyone – Henry Cavill.
Cavill actually lost out to Craig last time Bond was being cast, way back in 2005, because he was deemed too young for the role at the time at just 22.
Almost 20 years later though, and the Superman actor and star of The Witcher still has many fans pulling for him, especially because he made it so far last time.
In November 2021, he told The Hollywood Reporter that ‘nothing is off the table’ in terms of him replacing Craig.
‘I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers. In an ideal world, I’d never have to turn anything down,’ the 41-year-old shared.
‘Nothing is off the table. It’s an honour to even be part of that conversation.’
However producer Barbara Broccoli has since indicated that they are looking for a younger actor to take on the role – someone in their late 20s or early 30s – as signing up to the franchise is likely to be a 10 to 12 year commitment.
Despite this, Cavill’s odds are 5/1.
Theo James
Theo James also sits at 5/1 after his successful stint leading Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman series for Netflix and Osgood Perkins’ insane horror film The Monkey.
The 39-year-old White Lotus star also ticked off a very Bond-worthy advertising campaign recently after writhing around on a boat in a tiny pair of white trunks with model Victoria Ceretti for a new Dolce and Gabbana advert.
James has appeared in everything from the Divergent film series with Shailene Woodley to Underworld movies with Kate Beckinsale and appeared as Lady Mary’s lover who memorably expired in bed in the first-ever episode of Downton Abbey.
He’s also flexed his brooding British muscles as original male lead Sidney Parker in the period drama Sanditon, before exiting the Jane Austen series after one season, breaking fans’ hearts.
The actor appears pretty comfortably in play for the role of Bond.
Harris Dickinson
Babygirl star Harris Dickinson has proved a popular choice for 007 after appearing in the steamy thriller with Nicole Kidman.
Harris, 28, made his film debut in the 2017 coming-of-age drama Beach Rats, scoring acclaim for his performance as lost teenager Frankie.
He went on to star in the Disney blockbuster sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and appeared in The King’s Man, Where the Crawdads Sing, and the 2023 best picture nominee Triangle of Sadness.
Prior to his star-making performance in Babygirl, he appeared opposite Zac Efron in tragic wrestling biopic The Iron Claw.
He was rumoured last year to be in the running as young John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ series of films about The Beatles.
His odds are at 11/2.
Callum Turner
Callum Turner has already proved he can handle action in the TV show Masters of the Air, and has also featured in the film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. He’s got the acting chops, but he’s also not so famous that he couldn’t just be associated with the Bond role, which could be appealing to the bosses.
You may know him for his film work, but you might also be aware of Turner, 34, through his relationship with a very famous pop star – Dua Lipa – who definitely adds to his star power.
Lipa would also be an excellent choice for the Bond theme song, and perhaps even a little cameo after her mermaid impression in Barbie. Did someone say power couple?
His odds with betideas.com have gone to 8/1.
Josh O’Connor
After starring alongside Daniel Craig in Variety’s Actors on Actors series, fans were convinced it was simply the industry foreshadowing that Josh O’Connor would take over as 007.
Josh, 34, known for portraying a young King Charles III in Netflix’s The Crown, as well as starring in Challengers, La Chimera, and Lee, has an impressive portfolio.
However, he seemed to dash hopes of taking on the role in a recent interview with Deadline.
Speaking to the news outlet, he reportedly smiled as he was asked his thoughts on the matter, admitting: ‘I have no thoughts, really.
‘The truth is that … I think in the space of a week, I made a joke about, wouldn’t it be funny if I played Bond? Then, me and Daniel [Craig] did an Actors on Actors, and then something else happened, and then suddenly I was James Bond.’
He continued: ‘If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.’
Despite this, his odds are still at 8/1.
Paul Mescal
Paul Mescal was first tipped for the role of Bond in 2020 following his successful stint in Normal People.
His odds have been up and down ever since, peaking after he appeared in Gladiator 2 alongside Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.
Mescal’s odds of starring in Bond are at 10/1, placing him firmly in the top 10.
He has a packed slate looking into the future after gis role as Lucius Verus in the Gladiator sequel, next appearing in Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound based on the short story by Ben Shattuck.
Mescal will also star in Chloé Zhao’s historical drama Hamnet as William Shakespeare alongside the likes of Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn, and Emily Watson.
Richard Linklater’s epic musical Merrily We Roll Along also has Mescal attached.
It is told over the course of 20 years and does not yet have a release date- which could put a spanner in the works for Mescal being announced as Bond in the near-future.
Regé-Jean Page
Regé-Jean Page, 36, is an actor who has stuck around when it comes to potential Bonds for a while.
The star broke through at the end of 2020 with his leading role as Simon Basset in the first season of Netflix’s smash hit period drama Bridgerton.
This left him perfectly poised to enter the race as an established new talent as Craig stepped down from the role the following autumn.
Three years later and he’s still a name bookies will take bets on, appearing in the top 10, although he’s slipped down the ranks a little.
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He most recently appeared in the star-studded thriller Black Bag alongside former Bond star Pierce Brosnan as well as Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, and Naomie Harris.
In recent odds, he was placed as a slightly stronger candidate at 14/1.
Latest odds for the next James Bond actor
Jack Lowden 3/1 (was 8/1)
James Norton 3/1
Aaron Taylor-Johnson 9/2
Henry Cavill 5/1
Theo James 5/1
Harris Dickinson 11/2 (was 9/1)
Callum Turner 8/1 (was 16/1)
Josh O’Connor 8/1
Paul Mescal 10/1
Rege-Jean Page 14/1
Lucien Laviscount 16/1
Richard Madden 18/1
Aidan Turner 20/1
Sope Dirisu 20/1
Paapa Essiedu 22/1
Cillian Murphy 25/1
Idris Elba 25/1
Tom Hardy 25/1
All odds were provided by betideas.com.
A version of this article was previously published on July 15.
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