Next James Bond Film Reportedly Searching for Younger Actor to Play 007

October will mark one year since Daniel Craig said goodbye to James Bond, a character he played for over 15 years. Many actors have played the role, and fans are eager to find out who will step into the part next. Bond producer Barbara Broccoli previously said the next installment will be a “reinvention” of the character, and it sounds like they might be aiming for someone a little younger this time around. During a recent episode of Lorraine (via IGN), Ross King said the Bond search has continued and one name has apparently been ruled out: Sam Heughan.

“The latest rumour – and in some ways part of this is very much true – which is, basically, the Bond producers are looking for a younger Bond,” King explained. “Someone probably in their 30s.” He added, “At the end of the day they want someone who will be Bond for the next three movies … For the franchise, they want someone who will carry it through the same way Daniel Craig did it.” He continued, “The other thing they’re saying is they have to be taller than 5’10.”

While these are just rumors, the idea of going for a younger Bond isn’t exactly surprising. Many names have been thrown around in recent years, but some of them may not meet the supposed age requirements. In addition to Heughan, big names such as Tom Hardy, James Norton, Idris Elba, Sam, Richard Madden, Jack Lowden, Cillian Murphy, and Regé-Jean Page have all been suggested.  Miles Teller, who recently starred in Top Gun: Maverick as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, recently made headlines when his grandma took to Twitter to pitch him as the next Bond. 

“Nobody’s in the running,” Broccoli recently told Deadline when asked about the next Bond. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”

“He can be of any color, but he is male,” Broccoli previously said in another interview. “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.”

Who would you like to see play Bond next? Tell us in the comments!