As we enter October 2026, it’s now almost exactly seven years since Daniel Craig hung up his tuxedo and handed back his gun following the hugely-successful last instalment of the James Bond franchaise (it was released on September 30, 2021).
We’ve known for months that there will be sequel to No Time To Die - directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and written by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight.
But there’s still no news on who will take on the iconic role, becoming the eighth actor to play 007 following Sean Connery (the best, obviously), David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Back in 2024 it was reported that Kickass actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson had accepted the part but it turned out not to be the case - and he appears to now be out of the running.
His chances were perhaps over 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. He was thought to be their choice and the new bosses seem to want to go their own way.
Auditions are still ongoing, but it’s thought that the casting announcement will be made before the end of the year - at the very latest.
Here are the 15 actors leading the charge to play Bond, according to the bookies.
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13. James Nelson-Joyce - 16/1
Famous for playing babbies in the likes of 'The Nest', 'The Gold' and 'A Thousand Blows' James Nelson-Joyce is priced at 16/1 to play one of the biggest heroes in cinema history. | Getty Images for BFI
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14. James Norton - 16/1
An actor who has been long been tipped to play Bond is James Norton, but his odds have drifted out since the start of the year and are now sitting at 16/1. The 'Happy Valley' and 'Grantchester' actor certainly looked comfortable in a tux in the BBC's 'McMafia series'. | Getty Images
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15. Donal Finn - 16/1
Donal Finn recently won a new army of fans thanks to his role in BBC hit show 'The Other Bennet Sister', having previously starred in Amazon Prime series 'The Wheel of Time' and 'Young Sherlock'.(2026). He's another 16/1 shot to play one of the world's most famous fictional character. | Getty Images for BritBox