Who Will Play Denis Villeneuve’s James Bond? Here Are The Top Choices

It was announced on Wednesday that directing legend Denis Villeneuve would be the first James Bond director under the new Amazon reign, diving into the lore of the legendary secret agent some time after his next Dune movie. Or his third Dune movie? Or one of the other projects he’s supposedly working on? The timeline is a bit unclear here.

Villeneuve is a surprising choice for the spot, albeit he has effectively never made a bad film, and any franchise would be lucky to have him. It is somewhat notable that fellow directing icon Christopher Nolan has repeatedly talked about doing a Bond movie, but it’s now gone to Villeneuve here (not that Nolan isn’t insanely busy).

The reveal of Villeneuve as director did not come with an announcement about who would be cast as James Bond, post-Daniel Craig, with not even a sense of if he’s doing a younger or older Bond. But we have had a decade of rumors about who would be taking up the role, and I thought I’d go through the choices that came up most often. I do not believe they’ll be doing the once-pitched concept of a woman James Bond, so I’m not listing potential actresses for that idea here. Rather, the guys are:

Idris Elba – It feels like the suave, storied actor has been the top theoretical choice since I was in high school, though even he says the moment may have passed, as the actor is 52 now and this would just be the beginning of his Bond career. But I’m not sure I buy that, as Daniel Craig is now 57 and no one was complaining about that.

Henry Cavill – You are not going to find anyone else on this list that looks more like the quintessential Bond, interesting because Cavill also looked like the quintessential Superman. Cavill is wrapped up in some big projects however, like a giant Warhammer concept with Amazon he’s passionate about. But he’s expressed interest in the role.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson – He’s had back-to-back hits in the form of Nosferatu and now 28 Years Later (we’ll ignore Kraven for the moment). He’s recently been brought up as a possible choice for the part. I could see it.

Theo James – Honestly, this is my pick. The Gentleman and White Lotus actor is young and a rising star and I absolutely think he’s got the right kind of look and charisma to reinvent the role yet again.

Taron Egerton – He’s been rumored for Wolverine and now rumored for James Bond after his breakout role in The Kingsman, but more recently starring in one of the most popular Netflix movies in history, Carry-On. Maybe him?

Richard Madden – The ex-Game of Thrones star is another younger choice who looks the part, but his last turn in a big spy role in Amazon’s Citadel did not go great. I don’t think he’s the one.

Robert Pattinson – He’s rumored for a role in a Villeneuve Dune role, but some are wondering if the actor who notoriously chooses widely diverse roles might be a good choice here. But I’m not even sure he’d want it?

Aaron Pierre – He’s easily the most recent, prominent rumor about who’s being considered for Bond. You just have to watch Rebel Ridge on Netflix to know he’s got the charisma (and he is actualy English). He’s currently the DCU’s Green Lantern as well, landing that part a month after Rebel Ridge. This would be the ultimate rising star moment for him.

Are there more? Sure, but these are the biggest names that have been considered over the years. Will Villeneuve go for any of them, or surprise us with an outside-the-box pick?

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