As this will be my 50th installment of JoBlo's Cast This column, let's go for a big one this time around – James Bond. The secret agent with a license to kill has been played by a variety of actors over the decades, including Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. With the upcoming NO TIME TO DIE set to serve as Daniel Craig's fifth and final film in the role, it's time to talk about who should pick up 007's Walther PPK for the next generation.
Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond has been somewhat unique in the franchise, as CASINO ROYALE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, SKYFALL, and SPECTRE have all linked together in some way, and NO TIME TO DIE will continue where SPECTRE left off as it finds Bond having left active service. All that changes when Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) comes calling to enlist his help to search for a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that the scientist was abducted, Bond must confront a danger the likes of which the world has never seen before in a villain (Rami Malek) armed with dangerous new technology.
With twenty-four films spread out over the course of nearly sixty years, we've gotten to know James Bond quite well; suave and quick with a witty one-liner, yet also cold and brutal when the occasion calls for it. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as a variety of weapons and vehicles, Bond comes close to being a one man army at times, doing whatever it takes to neutralize any threat which crosses his path. Each actor has given the character their own little addition, from Roger Moore's dry sense of humour to Daniel Craig embracing Bond's more brutal aspects, so we can likely expect another minor reinvention of Bond for the next incarnation of the character.
Throughout the franchise, there have been countless actors who were either up for the part of James Bond or at least in consideration, and the past few years have been filled with no shortage of potential candidates to take on the role once Daniel Craig is done. Actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Idris Elba have long been rumoured to be favoured for the role, but there's no telling who will wind up as Bond until that contract is signed. Now, let's get the ball rolling. As usual, I'll toss out a few suggestions to get you started. As the last few James Bond films have embraced the character getting older, I could see Eon Productions going much younger with their new Bond, and to that end, my first pick is Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), who impressed in BBC's Bodyguard series and has been moving on to the big-screen in recent films such as ROCKETMAN and 1917, not to mention THE ETERNALS, one of Marvel's upcoming Phase Four movies. While I think that Idris Elba would make for a fantastic Bond, he's perhaps a little too old to be starting the role at this point, so instead, I'll go with Daniel Kaluuya (BLACK PANTHER). For my final suggestion, we'll keep things in the younger realm with Jack O'Connell (Godless).
Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!
Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Darth Revan, a Sith Lord who has inched his way back into STAR WARS canon. As usual, you came through with plenty of great suggestions for the role, including Tom Hiddleston (AVENGERS: ENDGAME), Keanu Reeves (JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM, and Tom Hardy (VENOM).