In September it will be four years since Daniel Craig hung up his tux after starring in his final James Bond film, No Time To Die.
We now know that the next film is in the works, with Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve bagging the director’s chair, following the success of his Dune franchaise.
And it’s now been announced that Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight has been hired to take charge of the script by producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
But there’s still no sign of who will play the title character - with further doubt cast on the recuitment process after Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael G. Wilson, who have effectively previously handpicked the Bond actors since the 1990s, signed over ‘full creative control’ to Amazon MGM Studios.
It had previously been reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had been offered the part, but that now seems unlikely - and a number of actors have been tipped over the course of this year.
Here are the latest 12 actors with the best chance of pulling in 007’s tux - according to the bookies.
9. James Norton - 14/1
Another actor who has been long been tipped to play Bond is James Norton, but his odds have drifted out to 14/1 in recent months. The 'Happy Valley' and 'Grantchester' actor certainly looked comfortable in a tux in the BBC's 'McMafia series'. | Getty Images
10. Rege-Jean Page - 20/1
Recently appearing in spy drama 'Black Bag', for a few weeks in 2024 Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page was favourite to be the next actor to don the 007 tux. He's now drifted out to 20/1. | Getty Images
11. Jacob Elordi - 20/1
A name that came from seemingly nowhere a couple of months ago, Jacob Elordi is now 20/1 to become the second Austrian James Bond after George Lazenby. He shot to fame in 'Saltburn' and played Elvis in 'Priscilla'. | AFP via Getty Images
12. Idris Elba - 25/1
'The Wire' star Idris Elba is another actor who was once the favourite to become Bond - but is not a distant 25/1 shot. He has previously distanced himself from the part in, explaining: “It is not a goal for my career,” adding, “I don’t think that, you know, playing Bond will satisfy some of my personal goals.” | Getty Images