Weekend Roundtable: Casting the Next James Bond

Daniel Craig swears that he’s done playing James Bond, and just turned down a huge payday to return as secret agent 007. Who should replace him?

Shannon Nutt

While I still think that Craig will re-up for one more Bond adventure, my vote for the new James Bond is Chiwetel Ejiofor. I think we can all agree that it’s time for an actor of color to be given a shot at the role, and Ejiofor fits all the criteria: He’s British, he’s the perfect age (38 as of this writing), and he’s one hell of a good actor. While others are yelling for Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston or Michael Fassbender for the part, I think Ejiofor has the potential to be one of the best 007s ever.

Tom Landy

You know who would make an excellent Bond? Peter Dinklage! Actually, on second thought, he’s too old. But I really wouldn’t mind seeing his ‘Game of Thrones’ co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (a.k.a. Jaime Lannister) slide into an Aston Martin DB5 with his trusty Walther PPK in one hand and a well-made martini in the other (shaken, not stirred of course). He has the looks, he has the charisma, and hey, 007’s eyes haven’t been brown in a while so there’s that, too. Not to mention, he has plenty of experience with gold fingers already!

Mike Attebery

Although Daniel Craig has been a great James Bond, I’ve gotten really tired of the “Will he or won’t he?” game Craig plays before each movie begins shooting. That, and his dismissive way of discussing the part, as if it’s the most taxing way to make a living, short of working in a coal mine, has gotten to be a real turnoff. The ideal Bond star has to be cool and tough on screen and off. Or at least give that impression. The only actor whose name has been mentioned quite frequently over the last few years and who embodies cool, is a strong actor, and had the physique to be a solid 007 (sorry, Tom Hiddleston, but you look like a mouse) is Idris Elba. I’d really like to see him take over the part.

Brian Hoss

Pursuing the possible choices has led me to Aidan Turner from the British TV series ‘Poldark’. Bond actors have to step up into the role, and shouldn’t already be too famous when they take it.

Having recently watched ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ gave me plenty of time to consider the challenge of finding a new Bond actor. Of course, the franchise has been successful recently with a younger Bond, and I have to believe that with a new star it’ll be time to turn the years back. Meanwhile, actors like Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba are much too well known to suit this search. They’d remind me of Val Kilmer or George Clooney playing Batman. ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ was great, but Henry Cavill shouldn’t be the next 007 either.

Luke Hickman

For the past few years, I’ve been waiting for the world to realize how great Idris Elba is. Finally, he’s starting to take off. I’d love to see him take the reins as 007. He’s shown his ability to play suave, cool, tough and intimidating. He commands a scene like very few can. The conviction of his performances – no matter whether it’s in a good movie or a so-so movie – is always strong. With an intensity that some of the very best actors can’t match, he’s definitely one of Britain’s finest. Sure, there would be a fleet of racist haters who would be up in arms about a black Bond, but just like the casting of Heath Ledger as The Joker, the haters would come around the moment they saw him on-screen. Idris Elba has my vote.

M. Enois Duarte

If we’re going based on the archetypal, classic Bond look created by Sean Connery and then cemented by Roger Moore, I think Jon Hamm might make an excellent 007. Not only does he possess the handsome, charming good looks expected of the MI-6 secret agent, Hamm knows how to act sophisticated and gentlemanly when needed, usually when trying to extract information from others. For crying out loud, he even makes smoking, drinking and gambling look cool while suavely seducing the ladies.

Adam Tyner (DVDTalk)

Since everyone is going to chant “Idris Elba!” in unison, I’ll go in a completely different direction: Adam Tyner. Hear me out! He can do what he is told is a passable British accent. He has a wry sense of humor but can get deadly serious when the situation demands it. He’s approximately the same age that Daniel Craig was when ‘Casino Royale’ stormed into theaters, ensuring that he’s young enough to get at least a few movies out of him. He has just enough gray in his hair to look distinguished but not enough to read as old. He looks pretty good in a tux. Men want to be him; women want to be with him. It won’t take $100 million to bribe him into signing a two picture deal. Let’s make this happen!

Josh Zyber

I’ll tell you one thing – it definitely shouldn’t be Jamie Bell, who’s allegedly in talks with the producers about the part. I don’t care if he’s all grown up now, he’s forever Billy Elliot to me.

Tom Hiddleston’s name has been thrown around a lot recently as well. His recent role in ‘The Night Manager’ sure felt like a James Bond audition reel. I think he’d be great if the franchise shifted its focus back towards espionage and away from superheroics, but that seems incredibly unlikely to happen in the current film marketplace.

Michael Fassbender is perhaps the best choice I can think of. He’s handsome, he’s the right age, he’s a hell of an actor, and he’s about to prove his chops as a kick-ass action hero with the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ movie. Is he too famous? Maybe. I’m not sure that’s a drawback anymore, though. With $200 million budgets, the stakes are too high on these movies for the producers to choose an unknown or little-known star. I think those days may be over.

Who would you cast as the next 007? Tell us your suggestions in the Comments below.

Note: We’re taking Monday off for the Memorial Day holiday. We’ll be back with new posts on Tuesday. Have a great long weekend, everybody!

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