Who might replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond?

After 16 years, five films and one rather questionable pink tux, Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond sadly came to an end earlier this year.

While we’re still not entirely sure what a Quantum of Solace is, we do know that Craig delivered some of the finest films in the franchise, and he’s going to be a tough act to follow.

It is an extremely important casting decision. A huge amount of box office revenue depends on choosing the right actor for the role.

“A new Bond is not just a red-carpet suit and a timepiece endorsement arm,” says Mark O’Connell, author of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan. “He must be a movie star, an ambassador for the series and cinema, a media diplomat, an anointed son of British culture and the face of a billion-dollar ecosystem of products and endorsements.

“He must be instantly recognisable across all corners of the globe as James Bond. He must be good looking, able to hold the camera and dominate cinema screens the size of football pitches.”

Of course, any new Bond actor would likely want to pay homage to those who have come before him, “but he will bring his own qualities to the role,” notes O’Connell. “He does not need to have been a leading man. Daniel Craig wasn’t when he got the role in 2005. Yet, he was a leading man in waiting – something producer Barbara Broccoli had to instil in him over a year or so of conversation about taking on the Bond baton.”

So, who could it be?

There are several candidates whose names have been Bondied about in recent years.

Let’s start with the basics: one thing we do know is that the next Bond will be another man. “James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male,” producer Barbara Broccoli said in 2020.

“I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in…