Daniel Craig Is Out As James Bond — Which Actor Is The Best Replacement?

In 2006, fans witnessed actor Daniel Craig bring James Bond back to life. Craig is the sixth actor to grace the screen as Britan’s beloved spy, 007. Ten years later, Craig has turned in four successful performances as the title character, but the Daily Mail reports that Craig is done with the franchise. Director Sam Medes is also not returning to direct anymore, Bond films, but will be sticking around to produce. During the press tour for Spectre in 2015, Daniel Craig made it known that he was not looking to reprise his role as James Bond. This is what he told Time Out, regarding shooting one more Bond film.

“I’d rather break this glass and slit my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. All I want to do is move on.”

Ouch. It seems that Craig’s attitude seemed to change after Spectre wrapped filming. The production was plagued with problems and reshoots, in addition to Craig injuring his ACL on set. Craig is known for doing his own stunts, so maybe he just got tired of the James Bond regimen.

With talk of Craig quitting Bond, fans and media outlets are speculating on who will replace him. Tom Hiddleston is currently the number one choice, with the Guardian placing his odds at 1-2. This “Bond talk” has come on the heels of Hiddleston’s role as a double agent spy in the BBC mini-series production of The Night Manager. In the series, Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a former British army soldier who infiltrates an international weapons scheme.

Tom Hiddleston’s odds really skyrocketed when it was reported by Metro that he was seen with Bond movie producer and director, Sam Mendes in London. Bookmakers have been placing bets on who is the best bet for Bond. However, betting has stopped due to Hiddleston being the clear winner.

“There’s no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we’ve had no choice but to pull the plug on the market. Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston,” reports Uproxx.

According to the Metro, Hiddleston has denied meeting with anyone for a role in the next James Bond film and has stated no one has contacted him about the role.

In addition to Hiddleston, let’s look at what the Independent and their rundown various UK actors, and their odds of landing the coveted role of James Bond.

Idris Elba

Former James Bond actor, Roger Moore, thinks Idris Elba is “too street” to play 007. Fans would say otherwise. Currently, his odds are sitting pretty at 9-2. This puts him high on the list of possible choices.

Damien Lewis

The Homeland actor has enthusiastically raised his hand to be the next James Bond. However, filming is set to start soon and his odds are fairly low. This means we may not see him in the Bond role anytime soon. Odds 7-4

Henry Cavil

According to the Independent, the Man of Steel actor was the number one choice for the role of James Bond back in 2005 but was considered too young for the part. Cavil is older now and has shown his spy chops in the 2015 film Man from Uncle. Odds 6-1

Tom Hardy

The Mad Max: Fury Road star would bring a bit of rugged British charm to the role of James Bond. High on the list of favorites, his odds are 5-2. However, the actor has yet to speak about fan speculation.

Michael Fassbender

The suave and debonair Irish actor has decent odds at 14-1 against other contenders. However, he doesn’t seem like the type to commit himself to a role like this.

Who would you like to see take on the role of the new James Bond? Leave your answers below!

[Image via Columbia Pictures]