So, What Do We Know About The Next James Bond?

The next Bond film, No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig{ =nofollow}, isn’t even out yet - but the question on everybody’s lips, because we're all very impatient, is who is going to be the next Bond? Is it going to be a woman? (Definitely not, according to producer Barbara Broccoli.) Is it finally going to be Idris Elba’s turn, after being everyone’s favourite for quite literally years? (Probably not, unfortunately.) Ah, now how do we know this, we hear you ask... Well, because the betting has been suspended on one famous actor becoming the next 007.

It is widely thought that James Norton is going to be the next Bond, with The Sun reporting that he has even already celebrated the news with mates after several meetings with producers to hammer out details. If he is, James – who has starred in big budget dramas McMafia and Grantchester – will likely sign a massive £40million, two-year contract. Nice work, if you can get it.

A source told the paper, ‘Numerous meetings and secret-squirrel script readings were had at the back end of last year. James has always been in the frame but, until four months ago, there were no concrete moves.’ The source adds that they were looking for someone who is ‘tall, strapping, physically fit and, of course, looks great in a dinner jacket.’ (So it’s a no-brainer, really.) And over the weekend, Ladbrokes confirmed that it had halted betting, as his odds were 4-5.

Also confirming that the new actor will be a man, this week producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed that Bond would never be played by a woman. ‘James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male,’ she told Variety. ‘I believe we should be creating new characters for women - strong female characters. I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.’ Quite.

READ MORE: 5 Women We'd Love To See Direct A James Bond Movie