Please note that I have based this list on actors that will be in the 35-45 age bracket by the time Craig’s contracted fifth movie comes out in 2018 (if a every 3 year pattern is stuck to). Any actor not in that range (cough Idris Elba cough) will not show up here.
Also as this current crop of Bond movies have attracted acclaimed directors and writers; I have chosen three actors that are more well know. There may very well be the perfect Bond out there that is currently starring in a chocolate advert but he won’t be on this list…
3. HENRY CAVILL
Why it would work
The Man of Steel himself and who better to carry the franchise after Daniel Craig?
He’s handsome, charming and as General Zod would testify, is more than a little ruthless.
The DC cinematic universe isn’t a sure fire thing just yet and if audiences don’t respond well to Batman vs Superman, Justice League and Man of Steel 2, then Cavill could be looking to jump into the Aston Martin.
Let’s not forget he’s been the bridesmaid before. He was the second choice for the role in Casino Royale before Craig got the nod and would only have been twenty three at the time.
He’s young enough to have at least fifteen years in the role and amble opportunity to develop his own Bond which may be a slight departure from the fantastic but sometimes sombre Craig movies.
We’ll see him play a spy in Guy Ritchie’s 60’s based The Man from U.N.C.L.E later this year and if there is even an ejector seat of resemblance to Connery’s era, Bond producers might remember why Cavill came so close the last time around.
Why it might not happen
It just shows how different the Bond franchise is now from ten years ago but Cavill may be too handsome for the role if more of the same Daniel Craig grit is required.
Also there’s the big blue Boy Scout in the room. If all goes to plan, Cavill may be very busy over the next few years and not even Superman may be able to carry the weight of two franchises.
2. TOM HARDY
Why it would work
We’ve been teased by particular set pieces in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises and it’s hard to think of anyone else Christopher Nolan would cast should he be granted the director’s chair for a Bond movie.
With a body of work (physically as well as literally) that shows transformation and diversity, Hardy’s Bond would be a major screen presence.
Whereas past Bond’s Brosnan and Moore charmed their way out of trouble, Hardy would stare his way out. His Bond would be made of iron, barely speaking a word and more than a little Saville row suited to carry on Craig’s more grounded Bond movies.
Unlike Cavill and the other gentleman on this list, Hardy hasn’t got a franchise and I don’t see the new Mad Max being any more of a one shot deal, especially after how long it took to get Fury Road out of the thunderdome.
It could be the perfect time for Hardy to look down the famous barrel of that opening gun and fire off a shot, cementing his leading man status in the process.
Why it might not happen
With a story mentioning his drink and drug fuelled past only a newspaper or Wikipedia page away, Hardy might have had one Martini too many already.
Bond producers are known to be a tad “finicky” when it comes to choosing who they work with, having reportedly been close to hiring Peter Jackson to direct Brosnan entry, The World is not Enough after seeing Heavenly Creatures only to be turned off when they got round to seeing The Frighteners.
In addition, Hardy would need to find his charm and bring it to the role. It’s essential that Bond is as comfortable seducing a woman as he would be murdering her.
1. MICHAEL FASSBENDER
Why it would work
Three words: X-Men First Class.
It doesn’t take a Spectre operative to notice that there was more than a little 007 in Fassbender’s portray as Erik Lehnsherr. The 60’s based origin movie played out like an audition tape for the James Bond role and Fassbender took his opportunity to showcase what he could do if he was given a license to kill.
We’ve got Bond like dialogue, “Let's just say I'm Frankenstein's monster. And I'm looking for my creator”; we’ve got a turn to the camera gun barrel like shot and not to mention enough of Bond’s wardrobe to make Roger Moore raise an eyebrow.
In addition there is the bedroom scene in which he manipulates and seduces Jennifer’s Lawrence’s Mystique, which is not dissimilar to the scene in From Russia with Love that producers make every auditioning actor use as a screen test to see if they have all aspects of the Bond persona. It’s a Bond audition like no other and one that cannot be ignored.
With the X-Men trilogy wrapping up next year and the current Bond films surging in popularity and assassinating box office records, producers might be tempted to stick to what works and go with more of the same after Craig. But with a hint of Irish charm.
Why it might not happen
After years of playing Bond as Magneto in the X-Men movies, would Fassbender want to jump off of one franchise and play more or less the same character in another? Could even an actor of his talent find a different dimension to the world’s greatest secret agent?
Have I missed someone so perfect for the role that I should slowly lowered into a pool of sharks? Who do you think should be the next 007? Fire off shots in the comments below