Many names have been put forth to play James Bond, but thus far no one has been chosen to play the iconic spy next. Daniel Craig has had a decent tenure, playing 007 in five films. He’s not quite the longest-running Bond, but five movies are nothing to sneeze at. He was becoming a pretty big star when he started, and he’s been doing it for nearly 20 years.
If you look at any other Bond actor, you’ll notice there are a few who have appeared just once or twice, like Timothy Dalton or George Lazenby. It’s just not really how things are done. For a while, it seemed that Idris Elba was the frontrunner to be the next Bond — at least in the minds of many fans. Unfortunately, he said he didn’t really “see Bond when [he] looked in the mirror.” It’s difficult to blame him for not wanting to commit to something so huge. If you’re in the prime of your career and take on the Bond mantle, you don’t have time for much else.
Producers claim that they’re in the “early days” of casting the new Bond. In an interview with Variety, Barbara Broccoli and Michael J. Wilson spoke about how difficult it’s been to nail down their next bond. They said: “The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off, and when we cast Bond, it’s a 10, 12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it].”
To make things a little more difficult, they also explained that it’s more than just a recast. Finding a new Bond is about creating a new Bond. It can’t just be someone who shows up, runs lines, does their stunts, and goes home. They said:
“That’s why, when people go, ‘Oh, who are you going to get?’ it’s not just about casting an actor for a film. It’s about a reinvention, and ‘Where are we taking it? What do we want to do with the character? And then, once we figure that out, who’s the right person for that particular reinvention?
Hopefully, we learn who our next 007 will be soon, but it doesn’t really seem like the producers are interested in rushing things.
Actors Who Almost Played James Bond
