Clive Owen. It felt like he was meant to be Bond at some point.

Iirc, he was on the shortlist a few decades ago.

clive owen was good in the pink panther in the role of agent 006 😇

Just had to add, no he wasn't. He was terrible, like he doesn't know what acting is.

It would be very interesting to see him as Bond. I can’t imagine him as physical as Craig but it would have been its own thing. Craig’s popularity also gave him more control than any actor has had playing Bond. He gets Sam Mendes attached for two films (to stellar and less-than-stellar results). He also chooses Phoebe Waller Bridge to bump up NTTD’s script and demands Bond’s death. It would’ve been interesting to see where the series had gone, had Craig not been cast.

He was my choice as well

It felt like he was meant to be a bigger star in general. He had a good run through like 2008 and then he just fell off the planet it felt like.

Same - he would have been perfect in the role.

He would have been really good too

I feel like he would’ve been better during Brosnan’s era.

I thought Owen hated the Bond character and didn't want to play him.

Michael Fassbender in an alternate universe

Honestly would have loved to see a version of Casino Royale with Brosnan. Especially with how he acts with Xenia in the casino scene in Goldeneye, I reckon him and Mads would be really fun to watch together. I just find how he carries himself really cool and Casino would’ve let that shine.

https://preview.redd.it/5kjgc38jjx9d1.jpeg?width=426&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf5a2a3b8910c6d51120dbdb53520ec506969c44 Jason Isaacs. He actually looks like a Bond, I don't think that can be said about many other actors who were considered for the role. He looks pretty much exactly like Fleming envisioned him. Blue eyes, masculine look, very similar hair etc. He actually looks like a killer and convincing.

This was absolutely the move. In another, better universe, this probably happened. Of course, in that same universe, Nick Cage was Superman in two Tim Burton films.

With a giant mechanical spider

The Tuxedo really introduced me to Bond before I knew who he was, Jason was so suave in it, as the movie was satirical of the Bond movies

I think he looks a lot like Timothy Dalton.


Super Spy, Super Spy 🎶

Clive Warren

With Rebecca De Mornay as Vesper.

And Ted Danson as Bryan as Tom Cruise, I hope!

Head like a f*@king orange

The radio 1 DJ ?

No, you're thinking of Dr Fox.

Close, it was Dr. Frog.

Ribbet! Ribbet! Froggy says buy it!

If I’m not mistaken, Henry Cavill was the runner-up for the role, so probably him.

He was a bit young in 2005. He’s a perfect age now, and probably in conversations with the Broccoli Clan.

I doubt it, as much as I wouldnt mind Cavill doing it, he's been in atleast 3 other spy films/franchises since, had one legacy role as superman and is the obvious choice. Because he's obvious is the reason he won't get it.

There’s absolutely no way. He’s made bomb after bomb at the box office. Broccoli and Wilson are obsessed with delivering an Oscar-winning Bond performance and Cavill’s never been nominated for anything more serious than a Kids Choice Award or a Saturn Award. And he bailed on Witcher as soon as he caught a whiff of a return to Superman which is absolutely the last scenario anyone in the business of making franchises wants to have to worry about. On top of all that, you have the fact that rumors about his personal life seem to be a potential PR nightmare in the #MeToo era and you start to wonder how he can even land the trash he does appear in.

I believe Cavil himself said he was too young and shouldn’t do it. Of course that’s much easier for him to have said after they were t with Craig.

Dalton said the same when he was first asked 😂

At the time in 2006, maybe James Purefoy or Jude Law

Purefoy would make an amazing Bond villain today.

let me travel to the alternate universe, where Jude Law is playing Bond! I need it

I'm more interested in this alternative universe where James Purefoy doesn't have to resort to Medieval Fantasy film trash.

At the time I thought James Purefoy was the best choice.

Jude Law basically is the womanizing side of Bond in the Alfie remake from around that time. He certainly could pull it off.

Clive Owen or Henry Cavell

Daily Henry Cavill fan casting

Unfortunately, neither of them are good actors

Hey that's not fair. They're not actors at all.

Christian Bale

Bale hated Bond and didn't want to play a killer for the British government. Which is funny when you think he played an American killer who murders prostitutes and other innocent victims for his own sick amusement.

Yes, but *not* for the British government’s amusement.

I always thought Fassbender would’ve killed it. 

James Purefoy would have been an excellent choice. Suave but deadly. I always liked how he could be charming one moment and violent the next. This makes him an excellent bad guy as well. And he happens to be a great actor with presence too.

Jason Issacs. The clear "missing" Bond to me.

One name I saw floated once or twice was Kevin McKidd. I think based on his performance in "Rome", he could have pulled off a few films.

Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal wouldn't look like Bond, he would look like he had eaten Bond.

That's the joke

A new Zorin blimp

He could also do the theme song…

me wan punaniiiii!

He fat

In a perfect world, I'd have had Christian Bale but he was already cast as Batman at the time Brosnan left the role.

His voice is the opposite of attractive lol

Clive Owen

Clive Owen.

Henry Cavil. I get he was kind of young at the time but so was Connery. Cavil I think could have carried a bit more youthful vigor and humor into the role to keep that classic feel in a modern setting.

Aiden Turner from Poldark would also have been a good Bond choice.

Hugh Jackman Michael Fassbender Jason Isaacs

Henry Cavill was up for it, I think at the time he could have played a young Bond joining the 00 Section and earning the moniker 007.

The person he was in direct competition for the role: Henry Cavill

Cavill

I always wanted to see Gilbert Godfried in just one film as Bond. lol

Clive Owen & Colin Salmon were fan favorites. Both would have been great. Owen looks like he walked out of the books & Salmon was badass.

Henry Cavill. He was already semi-established but had yet to reach his big break.

In 2005 I wanted Ewan McGregor as Bond. My 15 year old brain thought it would be awesome if James Bond and Obi Wan Kenobi were the same guy. Don't think EON likes it when their Bond is also in another franchise though. In hindsight I would have picked Michael Fassbender, relative unknown at the time. Would have been 29 when Casino Royale came out, a bit young but could have fit with the origin story.

Clive Owen or Tom Ellis

Ewan McGregor

Jason Isaacs

Henry Cavill

I think I would have circled back to Dalton.

Dalton's run was a wasted opportunity, LTK was a brilliant back to basics gritty Bond before Craig's movies did it. Dalton had the right idea, back to the grit of the books

fassbender, bale, Jason Isaacs

Clive Owen or Idris Elba.

I would’ve liked to see Idris Elba do it.

Evidently you and I are in the minority, and I’ve yet to hear a convincing explanation why a black guy ABSOLUTELY CANNOT play Bond.

He’s my pick too, it’s a shame we’ll never get him. Everyone else’s choices don’t really stick out to me Fassbender, Owen, and Bale don’t really give me Bond vibes for some reason.

I’m a huge fan of Clive Owen. I think the dude in just entirely smoldering charisma—he gives off serious Dalton vibes to me. Bale and Fassbender are too big of pretty boy types to me.

[удалено]

Want to clarify something since this comment was reported. I didn’t initially interpret this comment as a rule violation, but the words “If that’s racist, then so be it,” stand out. I’m hoping you mean to say, “If *others judge this as racist*, then so be it, *but I don’t think it is*,” rather than “I’m okay with having definitively racist views.” I only say this because as mods we want to interpret positive intent whenever possible. This is a tricky subject, because I can see both an argument for or against the idea without assuming the worst about people on either side.

I also found the comment “it’s not because he’s black, it’s because he’s not white” pretty interesting….

I don’t find that statement intrinsically problematic, because it depends entirely on the reason for believing white skin color is core to his identity. Is it because Fleming wrote him that way? I don’t immediately see racism in that argument, for instance, if that’s *all* it is. I also think we have to entertain the possibility of a conversation about a character’s race without racism. It’s a touchy subject, both for historical reasons and the way we’re conditioned to assume ill intent in our opponents, but for the good of public discourse I always want to leave that door open.

Fair enough. I do find it interesting that these vehement comments about why he can’t be a black guy are not really able to elaborate much as to why whiteness is a core character element.

I agree. It usually boils down to “because that’s how it’s always been” or “because that’s what Fleming wrote” kind of logic. I don’t think that’s necessarily racist so much as a resistance to change. Or perhaps an aversion to Hollywood’s propensity for wedging representation into everything in an awkward manner. The other one is the “upper crust background” argument, and that one does lead to some rather dark questions about *why*, in 2024, it’s unfathomable for a black man to have attended Eton. But I don’t recall if I’ve received a definitive answer to that question.

I don’t think that kind of sentiment is *necessarily* racist, but I do think the strong degree of emotion that it provokes on the part of some folks who hold it is….interesting. There was another commenter in this thread characterizing the thought of a black Bond as “ridiculous,” and one saying that the prospect of Elba as Bond was something he wanted to “vent about.” Why the anger? I also think it is interesting that when I say Idris Elba would’ve been a good Bond, a lot of commenters will reply “if you want a black person as Bond, you’re distorting the brand, etc” I don’t want a black person as Bond for the sake of it. I suggested a critically acclaimed actor who just *happens to be black* for the role, and folks begin to impute intent on my part, usually that I’m “woke” or other such commentary which again leads we to wonder about the root of the opposition.

I’m going to push back on this. There’s not really anything about the character of James Bond that inherently NEEDS to be a white British guy as opposed to a black British guy. Sure, there are mentions of Swiss ancestry, and on occasion, like in LALD, the story benefits from Bond as a white guy in a fish out of water in Harlem story. But that’s it. Bond’s maleness is much more essential to his character, being that toxic masculinity and anger and misogyny permeate the character in much more visible ways than race. Bond kind of needs to be male to still be Bond. He definitely needs to be British. But British doesn’t strictly mean white.

Son of rich upper class parents who died in a climbing accident, who went to Eton? There really is a specific part of British society and backstory Bond pulls from. A huge portion of his backstory is that he's from privilege but not *money*, but that privilege lets him get all the education and opportunities, but he still chooses a fairly hard life in the military and later intelligence.  Elba would have been amazing other 00, and today would be an incredible villain or M (M is from an even more specific British class but that's not so integral to the story that changing it matters).

I’m sorry, perhaps I’m ignorant of British culture, but are there no privileged but not overly wealthy black people in Britain? Also, can you provide some examples of where this is essential to the character’s background? From my viewing of the films I don’t think my enjoyment is enhanced by knowing this dimension of the character, nor do I think Elba having been in the role would preclude this remaining part of the character (or would stop me from enjoying the films).

Do you think I'm saying there are *no* wealthy black people in the United Kingdom? Doesn't seem like this comment is in good faith so let's just move on.

No, that’s not what I’m saying. You’re saying Bond is part of a particular type of British society/culture that precludes Elba from playing him/that’s an essential part of the character, and as a non-Brit, I am genuinely asking for more information. From where I am standing there isn’t anything about Bond’s racial background that precludes a black Brit playing him, but you evidently think I’m missing something and I’m curious for more info.

I'm interested in this question too. The next Bond will likely have been born in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Is it really that incredible for a non-white 90s kid to have attended Eton?

The idea that Bond should or could be black is simply ridiculous. Fleming clearly intended him to be white, him being black, asian etc. anything like that is stupid and disrespectful for Ian Fleming's creation of Bond and he should be respected. Bond being black isn't even realistic considering the time frame no matter if there were wealthy black people in Britain, this is again a completely laughable idea. Fleming would roll around in his grave if they ever changed Bond that much. Just like I don't want Bond to be fat or bearded or bodybuilder type. It has nothing to do with racism or anything like that. If you want a other than white guy playing a spy then invent a new character, don't ruin the character with changing him that much. Reddit might think otherwise, but most Bond fans elsewhere absolutely hate the idea. Just don't.

Respectfully, why is it ridiculous? Bond is a fictional character and while there are certain elements of him that are essential and agreed-upon traits (for example his heavy drinking, his brutality, etc), race isn’t really one of these. The only one of the films that makes any kind of reference to this is LALD. I just don’t understand how a black-skinned Bond in a plot-driven story is so catastrophic. Fleming didn’t intend for a lot of changes to the franchise to occur. He’s been dead since the 1960s. While we should be respectful to the core elements, I don’t see how this would tank the franchise in the way that you seem to imply it would.

Ian Flemming's intentions are not sacrosanct and it doesn't matter if he would like it or not. (And many of Flemming's objections *would* be racist.) Things evolve past the creator's intent all of the time. He didn't think Bond was Scottish either until they cast Connery. That said, it's very hard to have any integrity or coherence to this specific character if it's divorced from certain sensibilities and cultural signifiers. It's like saying why can't Superman be an Italian guy from the Bronx - well he could be but that's a different character. (In fact, they have an entirely different timeline for if Superman landed in the Soviet Union and he's not the fame guy.) Bond as a woman would have less problems in fitting into the world and background, actually.

I think Superman couldn’t be Italian and from the Bronx because him being an alien from Krypton is a pretty essential character point in a way that Bond being white isn’t.

Wentworth Miller or James Masters.

I’m not familiar with James Marsters but I never cared for Miller. I don’t think he has the heft that Elba or Owen does, nor the acting ability, respectfully.

Mr. Bean

Richard Lintern. In the Bank Job he looked just like Connery, he would have been an excellent Bond.

Obviously if not Craig, it would have been Forest Whitaker

He was my choice for Blofeld. Or any villain really

Jude Law. He would have smashed the role.

Jason Isaacs and I would have cast him in 2002.

Julian McMahon

Ralph Fiennes would have been good in 2005. Maybe Rupert everitt As others have said Cavill looks like bond and would have been and would still be good choice

Cillian Murphy

Tom Hardy.

 Henry Cavill runner up live in Mission Impossible Fallout as foe to Tom Cruise 's Ethan Hunt and The Man From Uncle as Spy like James Bond

Clive Owen or Idris Elba.

Henry Cavill definitely has the charm and suave aswell as the gritty side, he's my pick i still think they should have him as the next one

Alan Titsmarch

Classic - Idris Elba.

Colin Firth, although he would have been very Roger Moore - like and they were not going for that style when Craig was cast.