“I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery,” he said in a statement officially announcing the news, referring to himself as “a die-hard Bond fan” and that the character was “sacred territory” to him.

A huge 2025 theory for who will play the next Bond is Leo Woodall. The Bridget Jones star has opened up about being open to “beating up some bad guys as Bond”. He hasn’t received a call yet, but after all the hype around his performances in The White Lotus, One Day and the Bridget Jones sequel, we wouldn’t be surprised if we got one soon.

Happy Valley star James Norton has also been pitched as a possible Bond, but has mocked this possibility at the 2025 BAFTAs. “Whoever is deciding on these odds needs to get a new job. It’s so weird and bemusing,” he said.

James and Leo aren’t the only rumoured castings, though. Last year, The Sun reported that Eon Productions has offered the role to Aaron Taylor-Johnson. “Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it,” a source told the publication. “The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”

Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to Blockbuster franchises. In 2015, he landed the role of Quicksilver in Avengers: The Age of Ultron. You may have also spotted him in recent films like The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, The King’s Man and Tenet.

Franchise boss Barbara Broccoli also disappointed fans with a severely limited update about the next Bond iteration. Deadline reported that she was non-committal when asked about the future of Bond at a recent event: “There’s nothing I can tell you about the next Bond film. There’s nothing. Nothing is happening yet.”

She had previously talked about the unlikelihood of a female James Bond on the Girls On Film podcast: “I don’t think that we should be making films where women are playing men,” she explained. “I think we should be making more films about women.” She clarified that she would be open to a non-binary actor playing the part.

Although it looks likely that the next James Bond will be Taylor-Johnson, here were our top picks for the ultimate role, including men, women and non-binary actors. Take a look.

Leo Woodall

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