Published: 10:55 AM, 15 July 2026
From Holland to Sweeney, actors who want to be James Bond
So far, the James Bond film series boasts of 25 movies revolving around 007, produced by Eon Productions, and 27 films counting non-Eon productions. The journey began with Sean Connery’s Dr. No (1962). In 2021, Daniel Craig shined onscreen as James Bond for one last time with No Time to Die, before announcing his retirement from the series. As the hunt for his successor officially gets underway, the queue of hopefuls is longer than you might think. See for yourself:
Spider-Man stepping into a tuxedo has been fan-casting gold for years, and Tom Holland himself has finally stopped being coy about it. In a recent interview, he described carrying on the franchise as the dream of every young English actor in the industry. When asked if he’s interested in the role, Tom told Esquire, “I mean, of course, I'm young and British, and, you know, I've always been a huge fan of espionage movies,” before adding, “I've grown up with all of the Bond films, and I remember going to see Casino Royale for my birthday.”
England's standout star at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Jude Bellingham revealed on Fox's World Cup After Hours show that playing James Bond tops his list of post-football ambitions. The 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder shared, “I'd love to be in a movie. People always ask me, ‘What's the thing I'd want to do out of football?’ And I never really give it that much thought, but when I have, I always come to ‘I'd love to be in a film’. I'd love to be James Bond.”
The most straightforward declaration on this list came from the Love Story actor Paul Anthony Kelly at an event in Los Angeles last month. Asked what his dream role would be, Paul did not hesitate: "I want to be James Bond." When asked if he could pull off a British accent, the 37-year-old American actor replied, "Absolutely not," before adding, "No, I'm kidding. That would be amazing."
