10 Great Candidates to Play James Bond

The role of James Bond is currently vacant, and speculation is high regarding who could be the next 007. It’s one of the most coveted roles in cinema and the media and fans have suggested many candidates. I am Pop Culture Maniacs’ resident Bond fan so I am offering up a list of 10 candidates who can realistically be considered for the role. In my list, I am sticking to actors who are under 40, from the British Isles, and an emerging talent. This rules out popular candidates like Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Tom Hiddleston.

Sope Dirisu

Sope Dirisu is my out-of-the-box candidate and someone who’s worth considering. Dirisu has built up his career on TV, appearing in shows like Humans, The Mill, and Black Mirror. His breakout performance was in the haunted house film His House where he gave a performance that was mature beyond his years. He earned himself a BIFA nomination for his role. Dirisu showed a charming side in the period rom-com Mr. Malcolm’s List.

As well as being a screen actor, Dirisu has performed as a stage actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He received the Ian Charleson Award for his role in Coriolanus in 2017.

Dirisu currently leads Sky Atlantic’s action series Gangs of London. He has action credentials that would be required to play James Bond. When Dirisu was at university he played American Football which showed he has no issues with the physical demands of the role.

Henry Golding

Henry Golding has often been seen as a candidate to play James Bond and it’s easy to see why. He’s a good-looking man who has an ambiguous look. He could fit in Europe, East Asia, or the Middle East, which would be a useful skill for any spy.

Golding had a breakout year in 2018 with Crazy Rich Asians and A Simple Favor and he generally plays good-looking, charming characters. He has played characters from privileged backgrounds, and if he played Bond it would be a refined and lighter version of Bond than Daniel Craig’s version.

Golding has had action experience with Snake Eyes, a bland and forgettable film. Hopefully, his role in The Old Guard 2 would be a better action showcase.

Jack Lowden

Jack Lowden is my preferred candidate to play James Bond. The Scotsman started his career as a theatrical actor and quickly transitioned to TV and film. He came to prominence in the BBC adaptation of War and Peace and his supporting role in Dunkirk. His career has been on the up ever since. I was impressed by him in Mary Queen of Scots, Fighting with My Family, and The Long Song.

Lowden has shown himself to be an incredibly talented actor who often gives excellent performances. He has the good looks, charm, and edge of darkness for the role. He is on the edge of becoming a big star and the right type of actor to play 007. Lowden already has fictional spy experience since he leads Apple TV’s Slow Horses.

George MacKay

Another rising star on this list is George MacKay. George MacKay has acted since he was a child and he has an impressive set of films to his name. These include How I Live Now, Pride, Sunshine on Leith, and Captain Fantastic. He was nominated for the BAFTA for Rising Star in 2014, a Scottish BAFTA in 2013, and the lustrous Trophée Chopard at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It’s hard to argue with those credentials.

MacKay is probably best known for his leading role in 1917 where he played a British Soldier trying to deliver a message to prevent a suicidal attack on the Western Front. It was an intense role as his character went through the wringer and suffered to get this message delivered.

Even in a film I didn’t like, i.e. True History of the Kelly Gang, MacKay still impressed and in that Australian film, MacKay showed off his physique for the boxing scene.

Richard Madden

Another Scot to make it onto this list is Richard Madden. Madden worked as a child actor before progressing into adult roles. Madden is probably best known for his role as Robb Stark in Game of Thrones. He was so good in the role that the showrunners gave him more screen time.

Madden became a candidate to play Bond because of his role in the BBC thriller Bodyguard where he played a Police Protection officer who unwillingly gets involved in a political conspiracy. It was a role that showed Madden could handle an action-man role and battle numerous personal demons.

Madden showed his lighter side in Disney’s live-action remake of Cinderella. He played the Prince Charming role, and he was a sweet and charming presence as the major male character.

Madden has recently played more villainous roles in Rocketman and Eternals. This shows he can give Bond a darker edge if required.

Daryl McCormack

Representing the Republic of Ireland is Daryl McCormack. McCormack is the youngest candidate on this list with 29 years to his name. McCormack has worked in the UK and Ireland, appearing in Peaky Blinders and Pixie. The role that brought McCormack to my attention was Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, where he played a male escort. In that film McCormack played a young man who was charming and could ease nervous women who might doubt their actions. He’s an attractive man with a toned body, which could be transferred to an action role.

Like Golding, McCormack’s version of Bond would be a lighter, more suave character. Yet McCormack could still give the Bond role a dramatic edge as his performances in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, and Irish theatre have shown.

James Norton

James Norton is a prominent TV actor in the UK. He has led shows like the BBC’s adaptation of War & Peace, ITV’s Grantchester, and McMafia. McMafia was the show that made Norton a candidate to play Bond. It’s easy to see why because Norton is a handsome man and in McMafia he played an investment fund manager who gets involved in the complex work of international organised crime.  Norton can easily play a wealthy and refined man who disrupts villainous plots. In Happy Valley, Norton shows he can play a darker, crueller character which could be useful if the Bond producers want to keep a dark edge to the franchise.

Jack O’Connell

Like Jack Lowden, Jack O’Connell is an actor who is on the edge of getting a role to make him a star. Hailing from Derbyshire, O’Connell has been acting for a long time, appearing in shows like Skins, Doctors, and Waterloo Road. 2014 was a breakout year for him since he starred in three main films: Starred Up, ’71, and Unbroken, whilst in 300: Rise of an Empire he had the body of an action star.

O’Connell has proven to be incredibly talented with his work on film and TV. He has worked with big-name directors like Angelina Jolie, Jodie Foster, and Scott Frank.

Media speculation rose around O’Connell because of his role in the BBC series SAS: Rogue Heroes, a World War II action series. He would be a good pick for the role.

Regé-Jean Page

Regé-Jean Page is actor known for his breakout role in the first season of Bridgeton. He quickly became a heartthrob for his role in the hit Netflix show and he took the bold step to not return for Season Two. This led to media speculation that Page has eyes on a big film role, i.e. James Bond.

Page has the attributes to play Bond because he’s charming and good-looking. In Bridgeton he had the physique since his character partook in bare-knuckle boxing, and has a rakish quality, fitting to play Bond. Page showed his sense of humour when he hosted Saturday Night Live.

Page is set to appear in Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves which features an ensemble cast. It could be a chance for him to show his potential star power.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has emerged as the bookies’ favourite to play Bond and there have been reports he met with the producers, so he must be mentioned in this list. Taylor-Johnson is only 32 but he has had a long career as an actor. He came to prominence when he played John Lennon in the biopic Nowhere Boy and the titular character in the Kick-Ass movies.

Taylor-Johnson has built up a fine filmography over the years, appearing in films like Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Nocturnal Animals. He has a chameleon quality to him as shown in films like Outlaw King where he played a Scottish lord in the historical epic and was built like a tank in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.

Taylor-Johnson showed off his action credentials in Bullet Train where he got to fight Brad Pitt in the hit film. He’s reteaming with David Leitch for The Fall Guy.

As well as having dramatic, comedic, and action chops, Taylor-Johnson was named one of the best-dressed British men in 2015 by GQ Magazine.