The latest contenders for the James Bond role

There are few more coveted roles in Hollywood than that of James Bond. Over the years, the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan have achieved cinematic immortality by playing the part of the famous British spy.

But seeing as Daniel Craig is still looking unlikely to return to the role of 007, there’s a been a flurry of rumours about who could be the next James Bond.

Just this week many gambling websites have slashed the odds on Tom Hardy starring in the next Bond movie. The British star who’s appeared many of Hollywood’s recent hits such as Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant and The Dark Knight Rises has refused to comment on such speculation, but he would definitely fit the bill of the archetypal Bond character.

However, there are plenty of other contenders out there who’ll be more than happy to step into 007’s shoes. Alongside the Outlander star Sam Heughan, we’ve also seen plenty of speculation that Aiden Turner will use the incredible success of the Poldark TV series to serve as a springboard for claiming the Bond role.

There’s still a question about whether these actors carry enough box office clout to really play the part of James Bond. Daniel Craig had already appeared in big movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition and Munich before appearing in the celebrated Casino Royale movie, and it’s thought that Eon Productions could be after another cinematic heavy-hitter.

It’s what will feature in the next Bond movie that may influence the casting director’s ultimate choice. Whilst Casino Royale had some of the classic table games as its focal point, and Spectre played upon themes of government surveillance,

it’s expected that the next Bond movie could take influence from some of the dramatic global political events that we’ve witnessed recently

As such, it seems that the British star Damian Lewis could be a great choice for the role as he has had plenty of political thriller action in the hit TV show Homeland. And his current role as a hedge fund manager in Billions will give him enough experience in the murky world of big-business corruption that’s particularly apt in light of the current US presidency.

But much like the games of poker that feature in Casino Royale, it seems as though it’s still too tough too predict who will be the next James Bond.