‘Smooth with a sinister edge': readers on who the next James Bond should be

The Guardian

5 hours ago

Bond should have an element of danger about him. So yes Tom Hardy immediately springs to mind. I also think Tom Hiddleston would be good at a more lighter touch Bond though, the Roger Moore to Hardy's Connery. All the other candidates either sound way to young or in the case of Idris Elba, great actor though he is, a bit old for the role. machinehead
Whilst Idris and Tom Hardy would undoubtedly have been excellent – Tom Hardy, in particular, has that undercurrent of menace that Connery always carried – as, I think, would Christian Bale, their time has passed. I did think Nicholas Hoult might be a reasonable pick, though possibly too 'pretty'. But were I casting it, my money would go on Jack O'Connell: right age, English, dashing and could probably do rugged, thuggish violence if SAS Rogue Heroes is any guide. EvanByrne2
Ten years ago I'd have said Tom Hardy was a gimme, I think he still has the action chops for it, but is now over 50 so … Norton as the first ginger Bond? I reckon he's a good shout, Richard Madden and Kit Harington have also got to be in with a shout having both done pretty well in spy caper action roles before. DezzyDisco
Jack O'Connell. Very impressed with his Paddy Mayne in SAS Rogue Heroes. The right blend of charm and danger. JudeScorpio
I never would have believed that I would ever have typed the names James Bond and Eddie Redmayne in the same sentence. It would have been a bit like suggesting Kenneth Williams should on the shortlist. However, Mr Redmayne was chillingly good in The Jackal and he would be a very different kind of cold and calculating Bond. Nigeleastsussex
I think the next one needs to be JANE BOND. Since fact is stranger than fiction, there are plenty of real life examples of heroic women of the cold war intelligence/espionage world, from which an excellent writer can draw upon. An exemplary performance was provided by Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). Consider the economic success of the Wonder Woman movies – which may be difficult for Bezos to grasp. NotACustomer
Definitely James Norton. He has the looks, the acting skills and experience and would be perfect as the next 007. christinen101
No more Bonds, for Heaven's sake! They lost the plot, over-hyped the character, killed any humour or charm and turned Bond into some kind of American action cartoon. Just watch Dr No or something and move on. fabcat21
Matthew Goode. I have nothing to add. Riotsnotdiets
Hugh Laurie, obviously. He can play anything, especially upper-class Englishmen who can morph into convincing Americans when required. Erbium
Boris Kodjoe! Handsome, tall, fit, wryly funny, and a pretty decent actor. Knowitallie
I quite like the idea of Tom Ellis. He would be smooth after Daniel Craig's more gritty performance. I guess more in the Roger Moore range. But with Denis Villeneuve in the director's chair not sure it would work. Tom Hiddleston would also make a good choice. MillyTant
I think George MacKay (1917) would make a great Bond. He's got that look that mixes vague meanness with woolly competence, so he could fit all kinds of different scenarios. Trying to replace Daniel Craig (RIP) with another toughie street fighter would be too easy. I think MacKay also adds a spoonful of the eccentric enigmatic, would make him tough to pin down but still quite vulnerable. studious1
Tom Hiddleston. Another visceral actor would just look shite compared to Craig so I would go for a more cerebral Bond but with enough gravitas to stop it looking like a parody (unlike Brosnan). FeedTheEnemy
Chris Hemsworth might be a good option. Depends if they want to go hardcore like Craig's Casino Royale or if they want to ham it up like Roger Moore's tenure. TheMrGaffer
Jack Lowden would be a good shout. I'd like to see the role reclaimed for Scotland. mikebhoy
Tom Hiddleston, after seeing his work as Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager. Smooth with a sinister edge. DewinDwl
Robert Pattinson. He played a suave agent in Tenet. He's got the looks, the charisma, the elegance. BTW my solution to the reboot problem is to take a leaf from The Man With the Golden Gun's book (literally, from the book). Bond has lost his memory (so no need to include his new family from No Time To Die). He also suffered burns in the explosion and has had to have plastic surgery so, cough, he looks completely different. But we get to keep his found family of SIS team members who I love – Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes. catwhowalksbyitself
How about Matthew Macfadyen? He can do the upper-class British thing, but after seeing him be a real asshole in Succession I think he can do just about anything. kirkmc1
My pick would be Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, he has the action stuff, he has the acting chops; just check out the first few episodes of Gangs of London for the audition tape. Richlieu
Like the idea of Tom Hardy; Idris – maybe a little too old? Don't know? Am I being ageist here? I see someone has mentioned James Norton – he has great charisma and range. JojoSum
Tom Hardy is probably too old now, as he's pushing 50. Proper reboot territory should have Bond mid to late 30s. Theo James is a good call, he's already done the 'posh hardman' routine in The Gentlemen, like Craig, who basically got the gig after his turn in Layer Cake. Owlyross
Regé-Jean Page is the obvious contender. He has a solid fanbase but is not yet typecast, and has a fluidity that would enable the role to be reimagined without changing 007 completely and alienating diehards. Not exactly unknown of course. Estella1960
Dan Stevens would be my choice. About the right age, looks the part and can prove experience in both action and comedy. And he did an excellent film a few years back called The Guest where he played a steely-eyed murderous bastard to perfection. Sadly he's one of those 'tipped for big things a decade ago' actors who might be regarded as a bit of a yesterday's man for such a high-profile role these days (although he's done fine work since). Kevcoe
I would personally go for Jack O'Connell as an outside bet. It won't happen of course. And he's a bit short, but so was Craig. But he definitely has the charisma and the acting chops to pull it off. Lazygunn
As a longtime fan of the Bond franchise, I'm surprised that one actor's name hasn't come up in casting speculation, and that is Tom Weston-Jones, who I first became aware of via his starring role in Copper. After just a couple of episodes, I thought from the intensity he projected, especially with his eyes, that he would make a great James Bond. Creative_Conquest