The ‘James Bond’ property is changing hands. Here’s who we’d love to see play 007 next

Everyone’s favorite fictional British Secret Service agent is experiencing a managerial changeup, but for us, the moviegoing public, it means just one thing: time to start dream-casting again.

Everyone’s favorite fictional British Secret Service agent is experiencing a managerial changeup, but for us, the moviegoing public, it means just one thing: time to start dream-casting again. After it was announced on Thursday that creative control of the “James Bond” film series – based on the Ian Fleming books – is being handed off from longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli to Amazon MGM Studios, the question yet again arises, who should play an updated version of the famed spy who goes by 007? Daniel Craig is the most recent actor in a line of men who have taken on the role (beginning, of course, with Sean Connery in 1962’s “Dr. No”), but Craig announced back before his last Bond film – 2021’s “No Time to Die” – that it would be his last. Using only one proviso – that the actor be British – here are the performers we’d love to see shake up the franchise next: While Elba has been floated out as a potential Bond replacement for many years, he dashed most fans’ hopes when he commented on the idea in 2023, saying that the racist response from various places put him off. We still think the suave and husky-voiced actor would be perfect. With classic movie star looks and a solid background in action movies (his fight against Brad Pitt in “Bullet Train” is already one for the books), Taylor-Johnson is a no-brainer. Chances are him as Bond will go over a lot better than him as Kraven the Hunter. One of the more recent actors to come up in the always-running James Bond rumor mill is this brooding standout performer from last year’s tennis/love-triangle romance “Challengers.” We’re not mad at the idea.