It was already very clear that Daniel Craig was totally over playing James Bond. Now that he’s officially quit the role, it’s time for fans to start gossiping about who will replace him.
Idris Elba has been one of the top choices for years, frequently name-dropped by fans of the Bond franchise. That being said, by last November he was already sick of the speculation, saying, “Enough is enough. I can’t talk about it anymore.”
Tom Hiddleston and Tom Hardy are among the other A-listers being tipped to take on the role, with Hiddleston describing the rumors as “a weird thing to have to deal with.”
Despite his popularity, Hiddleston would be a surprising choice due to his busy schedule of theater and TV work, alongside smaller movies like the Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light. With the third Thor movie and Kong: Skull Island coming out in 2017, it seems unlikely that he’d choose another action role that demands such a grueling schedule of training and promotional tours.
In the absence of any concrete casting news, fans have started using the #NextBond hashtag to share their ideal casting choices. X-Files star Gillian Anderson is the unexpected frontrunner, proving that sometimes the Internet has surprisingly excellent taste.
It’s Bond. Jane Bond.
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) May 21, 2016
Thanks for all the votes! (And sorry, don’t know who made poster but I love it!) #NextBond pic.twitter.com/f8GC4ZuFgL
Other popular choices include Emily Blunt, Michael Fassbender, and Henry Cavill, an actor who may or may not have been grown in a vat to play square-jawed action hunks.
Hmmmm. Emily Blunt for #NextBond. Absolutely! pic.twitter.com/bhqsExSMiZ
— Henry Heffer (@henry_heffer) May 19, 2016
At 43 years old, Idris Elba may already be too old to start playing Bond, especially since the next actor will be expected to sign on for at least three movies. As a 47-year-old woman, Gillian Anderson is even less likely. But hey, we can dream!
