For the last 15 years, Daniel Craig has been an iconic actor. He’s worked on one of cinema’s most iconic action characters: James Bond. He has played the role since 2006, working with some of Hollywood’s biggest names like Mads Mikkelsen, Rami Malek, Dave Bautista, and Naomie Harris. But now, as 2021 comes to a close, Craig is stepping away from the superspy.
On Sept. 30, Craig starred in “No Time to Die” — the last Bond film for the 53-year-old English actor. The film featured a retired Bond returning to spy action to find a kidnapped scientist, leading him to a mysterious villain with dangerous technology. The movie was a commercial and critical success, grossing over 735.6 million dollars worldwide and with Rotten Tomatoes giving it an 84% rating.
After “No Time to Die,” Craig said goodbye to Bond and focused on other films. Craig talked about his experiences on set and how they shaped his career as he steps away in a recent documentary about the spy called “Being James Bond.”
“A lot of people here worked on five pictures with me, and I know there’s a lot of things said about what I think of these films,” Craig said in the documentary. “But I’ve loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one, because I’ve gotten up every morning, and I’ve had the chance to work with you guys. And that has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
After Craig’s departure, fans started to theorize who would be the next Bond. Many different actors were cast by fans, like Dev Patel (“The Green Knight”) and Regé-Jean Page (“Bridgerton”). In addition, some fans think that Lashana Lynch, who starred with Bond in the recent film, could also take over the role of 007 and not Bond.
Lynch starred as Nomi, a Black Ops spy in the recent blockbuster that would eventually take over the “007” designation. Her portrayal could propel Lynch to her film, mainly because there has never been a “007”-film starring a Black female 007.
Another option that fans discussed is Marvel-known actor Idris Elba, who is known for action roles like in “Thor,” “The Suicide Squad,” and “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” However, Elba has stated that he is not “keen” on playing Bond because people would react to him being the first Black James Bond.
“I just don’t want to be the Black James Bond,” Elba said in a 2011 interview with NPR. “Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond, and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don’t want to be called the Black James Bond.”
Multiple actors have stated that they are interested in playing the eponymous character. Both Tom Holland and Dwayne Johnson have expressed interest in playing Bond. Jacob Batalon, who will star with Holland and Emmy-award-winning actress Zendaya, says that Holland has talked about being Bond a lot while on the set of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Fans have also debated Henry Cavill as the next Bond. After starring in “Man of Steel,” Cavill went on to play superspy roles in films like “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” His recent spy role was in “Mission Impossible – Fallout,” where he played CIA-operative August Walker. His experience and rising stardom could lead Cavill to be the next Bond. Cavill has also stated that he is interested in the role and that nothing is “off the table.”
One of the other significant contenders is Tom Hardy, who played Venom in the two fan-favorite films, and Luke Evans. Both actors are the “major contenders,” as fans debated who would be Bond. Syfy reported that Hardy is their current lead, especially with rumors that he is the fan-favorite lead by London-based gambling company William Hill. On the other hand, Evans has had success after films like “Beauty and the Beast” and shows like “Nine Perfect Strangers” have topped streaming charts.
However, the casting for Bond is still in the air. MGM has stated that casting for Bond is still “wide open” and that they are taking time to figure out who will be the next actor to take on the iconic spy.
“It’s wide open,” said Pamela Abdy, MGM’s Motion Picture Group President, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve had very early preliminary conversations with Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson], but we wanted Daniel to have his last hurrah.”
So, who do you think will be the next James Bond? Will it be fan-favorites like Evans and Hardy? Or will it be a new story starring the next 007, Lashana Lynch?
