Tom Hardy
Hardy has been in the 007 rumor mill.
After Venon: The Last Dance premiered, director Kelly Marcel revealed she put Hardy’s Eddie in a tuxedo in a scene to help his chances as Bond. “There’s always been these rumors about [Tom] playing James Bond, so I may have been showing what Tom Hardy’s James Bond might look like,” she told the Hollywood Reporter.
Hardy has never addressed the rumors directly, only saying in an interview in 2017, “You know, there’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group that, if you talk about it, you’re automatically out of the race. So I can’t possibly comment on that one. If I mention it, it’s gone…”
In June 2025, Brosnan said, “Tom would be wonderful. There’s so many great actors out there who could portray this character. I have no idea who, I have no idea. I wish whoever it is great success.”
Cillian Murphy
Would Murphy go from awards season darling to 007?
The Murphy-as-Bond rumors were sparked anew with Brosnan’s comments saying “Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond,” but Murphy seemingly shut them down by telling Hello! he was “a bit too old for that.”
In 2019, following the success of Peaky Blinders, Murphy also commented on the Bond rumors. “It seems to be a way of generating business for bookies. So someone who happens to be in a TV show and wears a tux occasionally in a TV show… But having said all of that, it’s incredibly flattering to be in that conversation,” he said.
Since Daniel Craig announced No Time to Die would be his last outing as James Bond, there’s been intense speculation on who the next Bond will be. In March 2024, the Sun reported Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role, but no formal announcement has been made yet. Over a year later, there’s no announcement, and it’s not clear Taylor-Johnson will, in fact, be the next Bond.
In 2024, Pierce Brosnan, who played 007 in four films, had a suggestion for the next Bond: Cillian Murphy, fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer. “Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Brosnan said. In April 2025, he threw his support to Taylor-Johnson, saying, “I think he would be very good…if he wished it, wanted it and got it, he would be great,” then in June, he also endorsed his MobLand co-star Tom Hardy. Murphy, Hardy, and Taylor-Johnson are just three names in the ring to play James Bond—other suggestions include Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page and Outlander‘s Sam Heughan.
Idris Elba, widely thought to be a favorite to replace Craig, has spoken about his concerns about playing the character, and in 2021, confirmed he would not take the role, saying, “No, I’m not going to be James Bond.” In 2022, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety, “We love Idris. The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10, 12-year commitment. So he’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel].”
For what it’s worth Daniel Craig himself has no opinions on who should play Bond next. “If you were to pass the James Bond torch, who would you love to see play him?” Variety asked him. Craig laughed and replied: “I don’t care.”