Next James Bond: who will be the new 007?

It's been more than three years since Daniel Craig bowed out as James Bond in the explosive finale of "No Time to Die". Since then, the rumour mill has been working non-stop to provide tip-offs about who could replace him.

Gleaning reliable information about the "super-secret" new casting is hard to come by, but "a few major candidates have emerged" as "top of the deck" in recent months, said GQ. Here are the key favourites to take over the Bond mantle

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The 34-year-old British actor has been the front-runner since rumours swirled in the spring that he had been formally offered the role.

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Taylor-Johnson demonstrated his action-hero credentials as the lead in "Kick-Ass", and as Quicksilver in "Avengers: Age of Ultron". He has this year finished the Marvel superhero film "Kraven the Hunter", in which he plays the title role – and fearsome foe of Spider-Man.

Paul Mescal

Irish actor Paul Mescal has long been on the list of new Bond potentials but has surged into the spotlight with the release of his new film "Gladiator II". Mescal has previously been dismissed by some commentators however for not being the "right age", said The Standard, with Bond already an established veteran.

The 28-year-old actor first rose to prominence in TV drama "Normal People", but has since had a "banner few years", said GQ, including receiving an Oscar nomination for the movie "Aftersun".

James Norton

Norton has established himself through his television performances, garnering praise for his roles in "Happy Valley", "War and Peace", and "Grantchester". While his acting ability would see him "easily slip into the role of the suave and sophisticated 007", said GQ, the "transition from beloved TV actor to the face of the world's biggest action franchise" may be too big an ask.

The British actor is "yet to prove that he’s true blockbuster material", but at 39 he is the right age to take on the role and carry it for "years to come".

Henry Cavill

Cavill has credentials in portraying an iconic character, appearing as Superman since 2013 across a handful of DC movies.

The 41-year-old Brit has "previously been favourite" but his odds have "slumped" in recent months, said The Scotsman.

Damson Idris

Londoner Damson Idris is one of the "exciting fresh names" in the running for the Bond role, said Metro. At 33, he is one of the younger candidates to take over the franchise, but has impressed in his burgeoning career with notable film roles in the "City of Tiny Lights" and "The Commuter", as well as TV performances in "Black Mirror" and "Snowfall".

His odds have "unsurprisingly" improved since it was announced he will star alongside Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem in a new F1 movie to be released in 2025.

Callum Turner

Best known for his roles in miniseries "Masters of the Air" and "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore", Turner's odds of becoming Bond were slashed in September.

The 34-year-old British actor is a relative unknown, compared to some of the other favourites, but his lack of a major role could mean it won't "infringe on his potential to be almost singularly associated with Bond once cast", something producers would "quite like to happen", said GQ.

Theo James

James has continued to be an international sensation since his breakthrough role in "Divergent", starring in "The White Lotus", "How it Ends" and the upcoming Stephen King horror movie "The Monkey". Now, he's "creeping up" behind Taylor-Johnson as frontrunner for the iconic Bond role, said MovieWeb.

The 39-year-old British actor has shot up the bookmakers' favourite lists since his work in Netflix's crime series "The Gentlemen", where he plays aristocrat Edward Horniman. In 2023, James told US broadcaster Sirius XM he didn't think he was right for Bond but, with betting markets seeing him as a serious threat to Taylor-Johnson, the actor may reconsider.

Jack Lowden

Dismiss this young actor “at your own peril”, said Esquire. Lowden has plenty of films under his belt: he's appeared in dramas "Denial", "'71" and "Small Axe", action film "Dunkirk" and period pieces "Mary Queen of Scots" and "War & Peace".

The "Slow Horses" star has already proven he's an excellent spy, and he's in "the prime slot" for "grooming into the next 007". Though many big names are swirling around in casting conversations, the Scottish actor might just end up being the "dark horse successor".

Regé-Jean Page

The "Bridgerton" star is one of the "biggest names in entertainment" right now, and fans are itching to see him don the Bond tuxedo, said US entertainment site Collider. Though the British actor has only "teased" an action-hero presence, his stand-out performance as Simon Basset displayed the "sophisticated suaveness" that's key to a good Bond.

As Page is sitting on the "precipice of super stardom", he could make for the "refreshing" pick the Bond franchise needs.

When will the next James Bond be announced?

In 2022, a year after "No Time to Die" came out, producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety the next Bond film was going to be "a couple of years off". Those two years have now passed, and there has been no "concrete update", said Screen Rant, but "it would be surprising if the next 007 wasn't unveiled in 2025". A "large gap" between the releases might be for the best anyway, "since Craig's Bond was so well-received, setting expectations high for his successor". As for Craig, when asked by Variety a few weeks ago whom his choice for the next Bond was, the actor laughed and said, "I don't care."