Introduction
Back in September of last year, we wrote here about the future of the James Bond franchise after Daniel Craig went out with a bang in his final outing as 007. With the conclusion of No Time to Die (2021), there was now a huge hole in a franchise that was always, for the most part, a reliable source of profit and entertainment.
What direction would Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson steer this storied franchise? Most importantly, who would be cast as the next James Bond? We gave our top five list of potential actors to take over the mantle, and while that list remains mostly intact, things in the world of James Bond have changed dramatically.
What’s the Latest?
Going back to 1962, the James Bond films have been controlled creatively by the Broccoli family and their production company, EON. This started with Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and was passed down to his daughter Barbara and her half-brother, Michael G. Wilson.
That’s why when they sold creative control of the franchise to Amazon in February of this year (for a reported 1 billion dollars), minds were blown. Further, the James Bond loyalists began to worry that Amazon would water down the franchise with spinoffs and TV shows. Courtenay Valenti, Film Production Head at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement:
“We are approaching every creative decision with James Bond, which Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have so masterfully steered, with the greatest sense of responsibility”
Valenti appeared to back this statement up when announcing that veteran producers Amy Pascal (the Spider-Man franchise) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter franchise) were coming on board to serve as producers on the next Bond film.
Who’s on Board?
While it’s nice to have the financial backing of a titan of industry like Amazon, you still need top-notch talent to make a successful James Bond film. To that end, the rumors of director Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Roma) coming on board to direct the next installment have been gaining momentum. Cuaron would give the franchise a unique style and feel that only the four-time Oscar winner could deliver. Cuaron teased at the Paris Cinéma Club in April 2025:
“There is indeed THIS project under discussion, and I have the desire — if it happens — to revisit this story in my own way”
While it’s good to have a named director attached (there are also rumors of Christopher Nolan wanting to helm a James Bond film), you need a quality actor to fill the big shoes left by Daniel Craig. That leaves us with who is the frontrunner to be the next James Bond.
When we last discussed this back in September 2024, we listed Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, Rege-Jean Page, Henry Cavill, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the most viable candidates. With Johnson being our top choice to win the role.
Indeed, while Taylor-Johnson remains the presumptive frontrunner, a few new big-name actors have thrown their hat into the ring. Forty-year-old Theo James (The Gentleman) has been bandied about town, to the delight of James Bond purists. To his credit, James is addressing the rumors head-on, stating:
“…Honestly, it would be terrifying. If you do that, there’s no going back. You’re opening Pandora’s box there. You have got to be willing to live a very different life and have a different life for your family. And that would be pretty tricky…”
Richard Madden (Bodyguard, Citadel), Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist), Josh O’Connor (Challengers), and Dev Patel (Monkey Man) have all been given at least ‘a shot’ of landing the coveted role, according to the latest betting lines. Even seventy-one-year-old Pierce Brosnan has been suggested as possibly doing a ‘one-off’ Bond film portraying a later-in-life 007. Brosnan played Commander Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002.
