It’s now been more than four years since James Bond’s last outing in No Time To Die, but the 007 drought will be coming to an end.
Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is now on board to direct a script written by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight which will become the as-yet-untitled Bond 26.
But we still don’t know who will take on the title role and become the eighth actor to place the part following Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Since Daniel Craig hung up his tux there have been many different actors rumoured to be in the frame, but all bets were off when Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael G. Wilson, who have handpicked the Bond actors since the 1990s, signed over ‘full creative control’ to Amazon MGM Studios.
Here are the 17 actors who now stand the best chance of taking on the part and enjoying their martinis shaken not stirred.
9. Jack Lowden - 18/1
'Slow Horses' has made Jack Lowden a global star, and he's priced at 18/1 to become the first James Bond from Scotland since the original (and the best) - Sean Connery. His odds have lengthened in recent weeks, having been as low as 6/1 at one point. | Getty Images
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10. Tom Holland - 20/1
An actor that was not even in the conversation when it came to the next Bond until earlier this year is Tom Holland - with current odds of 20/1. His casting would make perfect sense if the film was to look at the early life of the superspy - but would Holland have time between playing the lead in the Spider-Man films? He was recently in Glasgow filming the latest one. | Getty Images
11. Jacob Elordi - 20/1
Jacob Elordi is about to reach a new level of stardom with the new film version of 'Frankenstein' - he's playing the monster in the new Guillermo del Toro film which had a recent premiere at the London Film Festival. He'd be a buzzy choice for Bond and is priced at 20/1. | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f
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12. James Norton - 25/1
James Norton has long been in the frame to play Bond, having made his name in the likes of 'Happy Valley', 'Grantchester' and 'McMafia series'. He's still in the running, just about, although his odds have drifted out to 25/1. | Getty Images