Actor Daniel Craig will certainly remain iconic for his role as James Bond. The actor played the role of Agent 007 in five films and said goodbye to the character in 2021’s No Time To Die.
Ever since Craig’s departure, speculations have been on which actor will be donning the suit. While rumors of a black or a female James Bond have been doing the rounds for a long time, there has been no confirmation. However, Bond actor Ben Whishaw wishes to see a member of the LGBTQ community play the role.
Including actor Daniel Craig, seven actors have essayed the role of Agent 007 on film. The series based on the Ian Fleming novels began in 1962 with the film Dr. No. It starred Sean Connery as James Bond, who essayed the role in six more films, five of which were produced by Eon Productions. Dr. No established much of the visual style of the film series, including the iconic theme song and Bond’s appearance from the view of a gun barrel.
Roger Moore essayed the role in seven films by Eon Productions and is the only actor appearing in that many Bond films. He started in 1973’s Live and Let Die and retired from the role in 1985’s A View To A Kill. Moore’s depiction is considered to be one of the more campy versions of James Bond.
Timothy Dalton played the role in two Bond films, after which Pierce Brosnan stepped into the tuxedo. Brosnan played the role from 1995 to 2002, ending his run with the critically panned Die Another Day. After a brief hiatus, James Bond returned in the form of Daniel Craig, who made his debut as the character in the universally acclaimed Casino Royale.
Richard Madden dropped some hints regarding James Bond. Since Daniel Craig’s departure, there has been much speculation of who will next take on the mantle of Britain’s most famous spy. Daniel Craig retired as 007 last year. It has been noted that the fans have been busy dream casting the role with actors of all types.
Many suggested that Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Tom Hiddleston be among the several actors to play the role. It has been further noted that the favorites to bag the role include LGBTQ actors like Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, singer Sam Smith, and Thor’s Tessa Thompson. However, popular actor Idris Elba is not willing to grab the role of James Bond. British actress Charlotte Kirk recently stated she is auditioning for a ‘deadly, brilliant, and complicated’ role in the new James Bond movie.
During an interview with Attitude while promoting No Time To Die, actor Ben Whishaw, who plays Q in the series, expressed his desire to see a gay actor don the role of James Bond. He said,
“Of course, I would like to see that. I really believe that we should be working towards a world where anyone can play anything and it would be really thrilling if it didn’t matter about someone’s sexuality to take on a role like this…I think that would be real progress. But we’ll see, we’ll just see where we’re at. I’m amazed by how much has changed in the last five or six years, so we’ll see.”
(H/t Fandom Wire)