No Time to Die is coming to the big screen on October 8, marking Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond. Few roles are more contested in Hollywood, and unsurprisingly fans are already sharing their views on who should be next.
The first Bond, Sean Connery, passed the role on to Australian George Lazenby, before taking it back for a further movie, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971.
Roger Moore took over for 1973's Live and Let Die, with Timothy Dalton arriving for The Living Daylights in 1987.
Pierce Brosnan was the next Bond, starting with GoldenEye in 1995, before passing the current incumbent, Craig, who started in 2006 with Casino Royale.
All good things must come to an end, and so Craig will now have to pass the torch to another actor. There have been many names in the running.
The producer of the franchise, Barbara Broccoli, has made clear she wants to see another man take on the role, but has given no clues as to who that person might be.
She told The Press Association: "James Bond is a male character. I hope that there will be many, many films made with women, for women, by women, about women.
"I don't think we have to take a male character and have a woman portray him. So yes, I see him as male."
In a separate interview, she also confirmed on BBC Radio 4 that the casting process would begin next year.
Who Will Be The Next James Bond after Daniel Craig?
There have been a number of actors in the mix to take on the role after Craig departs as James Bond.
Since Bridgerton aired, the Duke of Hastings himself, Rege Jean Page, has entered into the running, with Betfair offering 11-4 odds.
Other cult TV series have also offered up some of their stars, like Sam Heughan of Outlander and Bodyguard's Richard Madden.
However, Betfair has named Tom Hardy the favorite with 13-8 odds, as have Paddy Power.
Luke Evans, who played Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast live-action remake, has had his odds cut to 5-1 by SkyBet, and British star James Norton sits at 4-1.
Other stars in the list include Clive Standen from Council of Dads, Henry Cavill of Superman fame and Loki star Tom Hiddleston.
Of course, Lashana Lynch is also in the running and bets are still coming in for her to take over the mantle.
However, given Broccoli's comments, it seems unlikely she will take on the role after Craig.
No Time to Die is out in cinemas on October 8
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
