Who Will Be the Next James Bond? Take Our Poll

Everyone from Tilda Swinton and her family to the British tabloids has speculated about who should play the next James Bond, as Daniel Craig is nearing the end of his run.

Now, as Craig’s friend and fellow actor Mark Strong tells ShortList, the hunky Englishman’s stint as the moody MI6 agent may have reached its conclusion, one film before Craig’s contract is up. “He has been [wonderful] and he’s loved it,” Strong said while promoting his spy spoof with Sacha Baron Cohen, “Grimsby.” “But I think he feels like he’s mined it. He’s done what he wants with it. That point has come.”

 
Sam Mendes’ second crack at the franchise, “Spectre,” marked Craig’s fourth turn as 007, and the actor betrayed his Bond fatigue to Time Out London’s Dave Calhoun. As for his potential replacement, Britain’s largest bookmakers have shifted from former favorites Idris Elba and Damian Lewis to Hollywood’s hottest hand, Tom Hardy — fresh off two grueling action/adventure roles, in Best Picture contenders “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Revenant.”

WATCH: “Oscar Nominee Tom Hardy Explains Why Shooting ‘The Revenant’ Was So Bloody Hard (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)”

Elba had risen to the top of the pack after the Sony hack revealed that Amy Pascal, then running Sony, had recommended him to play the role. (Several wags subsequently pointed out that Ian Fleming wrote the role as a white Scottish man. Screw that.) For his part, Elba is on record saying, “I just do not want to be the black James Bond.” And it would be hard to fault anyone for choosing the charismatic, skillful Hardy, who has the looks and swagger to carry off the grittier Bond inaugurated by Craig. 

Others further down the bookies’ constantly changing lists of Bond hopefuls are Jamie Dornan (“Fifty Shades of Grey,” “The Fall”), Michael Fassbender (Oscar-nominated for “Steve Jobs”), and “Superman” Henry Cavill. 35-year-old Tom Hiddleston’s fans are already campaigning for him to assume the role of Bond, and he has practice with spy games now: he’ll appear on AMC in April in the limited series adaptation of John le Carre’s “The Night Manager.”

In the category of too old are 2005 Bond candidates Clive Owen (he wanted gross points), Aussie Hugh Jackman (he didn’t like the script), Ewan McGregor (didn’t want to be stuck as Bond), and Dominic West. And though I adore another cool and threatening Aussie, Guy Pearce, at 47 he’s getting up there, along with Gerard Butler, 45. 

Who do you think should play Bond? Weigh in below.

Who Should Play the Next James Bond?

Idris Elba

Damian Lewis

Tom Hardy

Henry Cavill

Michael Fassbender

Orlando Bloom

Andrew Lincoln

Dan Stevens

Richard Armitage

James McAvoy

Tom Hiddleston

Christian Bale

Jon Hamm

Jude Law

Hugh Dancy

Lee Pace

Chris Evans

Joel Edgerton

Rupert Friend

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Jamie Dornan

Benedict Cumberbatch