It has been nearly three years since the release of Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in ‘No Time To Die’.
Now that the actor has confirmed that he has hung up his 007 tux for good there has been no letup in the speculation over who will succeed him in one of the world’s biggest film franchaises, following in the footsteps of Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan.
And there has also been a huge amount of speculation as to who will be behind the camera for the next blockbuster.
Since British director Terence Young took on the first two films in the series, Dr. No and From Russia With Love (he also returned for the fourth, Thunderball), there have been a total of 27 instalments (two of them unofficial) in the moneyspinning franchaise.
John Glen has directed the most, with five entries spanning the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton years, while Sam Mendes brought Oscar-winning gravitas to the more recent Skyfall and Spectre.
Here are the 13 most likely candidates to take on the next 007 film accorfing to the bookies.
9. Chad Stahelski - 9/1
Former Matrix stuntman has established himself as one of the leading action film directors with the John Wick series of films starring Keanu Reeves as the despertate-to-retire hitman. He's also 9/1 to put his own unique spin on Bond - and you can bet it would be action-packed. | Getty Images for Lionsgate
10. Christopher McQuarrie - 10/1
With four Mission: Impossible film under his belt, Christopher McQuarrie is eminently qualified to take on Britain's most famous spy - in those films Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt character is essentially an American version of Bond. The Jack Reacher director is 10/1 to take on the job. | Getty Images for Paramount Pictu
11. Chloé Zhao - 10/1
Chinese-born director Chloé Zhao may have made her name in independent films like Nomadland (for which she won the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture) but she showed she could also handle a mega-budget with Marvel film The Eternals. She's priced at 10/1 to make Bond her latest project, although may have her hands full with the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. | Getty Images
12. Sam Mendes - 12/1
British stage and screen director Sam Mendes is another Oscar winner - for his debut film American Beauty. He's already directed two Bond films - 2012's Skyfall and 2015's Spectre - so could be seen as a safe pair of hands to take the franchaise forward. His odds are 12/1. | Getty Images