The race to crown the next James Bond is more exhausting than a general election, says Metro's chief film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, who argues that the ideal candidate might be a complete unknown rather than a household name. With auditions reportedly underway, the speculation has reached fever pitch, but the billion-dollar question isn't just who should play 007, but what Bond should mean in today's world.
The Favourite: Callum Turner
Odds-on favourite Callum Turner, 36, is masculine, romantic, bruised, and not too polished, with old-fashioned movie-star heft. His recent marriage to singer Dua Lipa even dangles the possibility of a two-for-one deal on the Bond theme tune – but it could prove a liability. Bond should look capable of breaking your heart, not politely thanking you for the Le Creuset wedding gift, Ivan-Zadeh writes.
The Dark Horse: Harris Dickinson
Harris Dickinson, 30, has a dangerous, chameleonic quality on screen, as seen in his commanding performance opposite Nicole Kidman in Babygirl. While he could survive Bond typecasting because you never quite know what he'll do next, his diary is tied up with Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project, where he plays John Lennon.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: The Dead Cert That Wasn't
Aaron Taylor-Johnson once seemed such a dead cert that reports claimed the job was practically his – that was 2024. The silence since suggests incoming director Denis Villeneuve may have other ideas. Taylor-Johnson also feels like the Bond we have already had: handsome, muscular, brooding. After Daniel Craig, we don't really need another 007 who looks as though he wakes up furious with his personal trainer.
Jacob Elordi: More Villain Than Hero
Jacob Elordi is mesmerising on screen, but Ivan-Zadeh sees the Saltburn and Wuthering Heights star less as Bond and more as a Bond villain's beautiful son, smoking beside an infinity pool, quoting Nietzsche and ruining everybody's marriage. He is also Australian, and after George Lazenby – the shortest-serving Bond in history – Britain may not be emotionally prepared to take that risk again.
The Case for a Blank Canvas
Then there is Tom Francis, an Olivier-winning stage actor who might make you wonder 'Tom Who?' – but that's exactly the point. Francis has the advantage of being a blank canvas, and the thrill of the unknown may be precisely what the franchise needs. Every successful Bond reflected the fantasy of his era: Sean Connery was animal masculinity and danger; Roger Moore offered debonair silliness; Timothy Dalton brought too much seriousness; Pierce Brosnan was a glossy, walking Bond poster; and Daniel Craig was Ian Fleming's 'blunt instrument' made flesh.
The Franchise's Big Gamble
Amazon reportedly paid around $1 billion for total creative control of the franchise, and the new creative team is formidable – Dune director Villeneuve, Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight, and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman. If anyone can make the old rituals thrilling again, it should be them. But Judi Dench's M was already calling Bond a 'sexist, misogynist dinosaur' nearly 30 years ago, and perhaps the dinosaur has finally earned his straight-to-streaming retirement on Amazon Prime.
Bill Nighy: The Old Bond Fantasy
It's fun to briefly picture Bill Nighy as Old Bond with his dry wit, intelligence, suavity, mystery, and immaculate tailoring. This is an actor who could suggest an entire history of romantic disappointment simply by adjusting one cuff. Ivan-Zadeh says she'd watch that spinoff tomorrow.
The Verdict: An Unknown for Bond 26
For Bond 26, Ivan-Zadeh votes for a total unknown, because above all, a new James Bond has to make us feel that old jolt of danger, glamour and possibility. A name we already know carries too much baggage. What Bond needs is someone who walks into frame and makes us think, 'Oh. It's him. We just didn't know it yet.' Whoever gets the job, there is only one thing she's prepared to put money on: it won't be Andy Burnham.
