James Bond is a fictional character created by the British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. The character is a British secret service agent for MI6 with the code number 007 (double-oh-seven).

James Bond’s introduction in the cinema was marked by the movie Dr. No in 1962, with Sean Connery spotlighted as Agent 007. This project was overseen by Eon Productions, a movie company owned by Harry Saltzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Since then, the character has attracted and garnered considerable fandom and attention. As of 2021, James Bond is among the most popular and talked about movie characters.

Between 1962 and 2021, six actors have been cast as James Bond in the Eon Productions films. These thespians include Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

At present, the seventh actor that will play James Bond for Eon Productions is under deliberation. The movie company board currently has some actors in mind. However, they are yet to conclude.

In this piece, we’d be citing the actors who are most likely to give an adequate portrayal of James Bond on screen. This list may contain some actors presently under the considerations of Eons Productions and other performers who the company hasn’t expressed interest in featuring as the next James Bond.

5 Actors Who Will Portray Agent 007 on Screen Most Adequately

For a successful portrayal of the character, the next Bond actor has to come considerably close to Ian Fleming’s James Bond. In this light, Ian Fleming’s James Bond is British, 183 cm (6 ft) tall, weighs 76 kilograms, possesses a slim build, blue-eyed, cruelly handsome, and dark-haired in physical appearance. In terms of character, he’s a charismatic, classy, Martini-loving, heavily smoking, peerless, womanizing, gambling-addicted, and strong fellow.

Indeed, one may argue that no past Bond actor has met all these features. Nonetheless, we can all agree that the successful Bond actors fulfilled a significant fraction of these elements.

Having said that, let’s take a look at 5 actors that may follow the footsteps of other successful Bond actors or even give a better portrayal of James Bond on screen.

5. Cillian Murphy

Blue eyes, slim build, good looks, dark brown hair, Cillian Murphy has some of the primary physical attributes of Ian Fleming’s Bond. The Irish actor has played several posh roles, such as his young businessman role in the American sci-fi thriller movie Inception and the charismatic gang leader Thomas Shelby in the British crime drama series Peaky Blinders. These characterizations suggest he could easily conform to the stylishness and charisma of James Bond.

Murphy has also shown his grasp of action in some movies and TV shows. For instance, his action roles in the sequel of the horror thriller movie A Quiet Place and his role as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. It wouldn’t also be difficult for him to exhibit the strong, heavily smoking, alcoholic, and women-magnetic aspects of Bond since these elements constituted Thomas Shelby.

On the minus side, Cillian Murphy isn’t as tall as Fleming’s Bond. He stands at 173 cm against the 183 cm of James Bond. Consequently, if he’s cast as Bond, he’d be the Bond actor with the least height. Still, Barbara Broccoli and other key members of Eons Productions may choose to overlook this drawback and concentrate on the other criteria for a suitable James Bond, which he fulfills tremendously.

4. Richard Madden

Who remembers Robb Stark from the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones? Before the character’s tragic and unexpected death in the Red Wedding, it was said that he never lost a war. Now, imagine Robb Stark in a tuxedo, with dark hair, wielding a gun instead of a sword.  That remodeled version of Robb Stark is James Bond.

Richard Madden, the Scottish actor who played Robb Stark, has the right build, blue eyes, strength, and charm to star as the next James Bond. The actor’s role as a bodyguard in the British political thriller series Bodyguard, for which he won several awards, including a Golden Globe Award as the Best Actor in a drama series, proves that he can adequately and effortlessly portray the most prominent fictional MI6 agent on the screens.

Additionally, Madden is a stylish young man. He has been recognized as one of the most stylish men by Hugo Boss. This virtue will facilitate his illustration of James Bond. Similarly, he can spend quite some time playing James Bond in the movies since he’s just 35 years old, as of 2021.

3. Christian Bale

There’s hardly any English actor who rocks a tuxedo better than Christian Bale and there’s barely any movie character who renders a better meaning to tuxedoes than James Bond. Bale is 6-foot tall, highly fashionable, physically fit, very masculine, and experienced in acting. These remarkable features make him capable of properly representing Ian Fleming’s Bond in a movie.

Bale’s incredible portrayal of Bruce Wayne (Batman) in The Dark Knight Trilogy speaks highly of his adequacy and sophistication to be the next Bond actor. In addition, his well-played role in the American horror film American Psycho indicates that he’d do even better if his character is “licensed to kill”.

Unfortunately, Christian Bale has revealed his unwillingness to take a James Bond role and even turned down a contract because he isn’t very fond of the character. Nevertheless, it’ll be wonderful if he changes his mind. 

2. Tom Hardy

Although Tom Hardy earned his breakthrough role in 2010 as Eames in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Inception, he has been a creative actor for a considerable period. The English actor’s handsomeness, eloquence, blue-green eyes, dress sense, acting skills, and portrayal of charismatic characters, such as the Jewish gangster leader Alfie Solomons in the British crime drama Peaky Blinders, make him suitable for the role of James Bond.

Furthermore, Hardy has performed greatly in action roles, notably in the 2015 Australian post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s noteworthy that if he’s eventually chosen to play James Bond, the character wouldn’t be the first British agent he’d be portraying on the screens. Earlier in 2012, he supported Gary Oldman as a British field agent in the thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Though Tom Hardy is slightly taller than his Inception and Peaky Blinders co-star Cillian Murphy, at 175 cm, his height may not disqualify him from playing Bond. In his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy wore padded shoes which enabled him to fairly measure up to Christian Bale in height. He could do the same in his potential James Bond roles if the opportunity is presented to him.

1. Henry Cavill

What would happen if Superman decides to be James Bond? Wouldn’t the outcome give rise to a “Super Bond“? Henry Cavill was once the director Martin Campbell’s preferred choice to play James Bond. However, Daniel Craig was chosen instead because Cavill was too young to portray Agent 007 since he was just 22 years old then.

Henry Cavill is British, 183 cm, blue-eyed, dark-haired, sufficiently built, incredibly tough-looking, charming, very masculine, and insanely handsome. Thus, he meets all the crucial physical characteristics of Ian Fleming’s Bond.

Cavill has starred in action spy films, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Mission Impossible: Fallout. In the former, he technically had a Bond-like character and Bond-worthy performance. Again, he showed his ability to enthrall women in Showtime’s historical drama series The Tudors.

Concerning these realities, in 2020, an artificial intelligence device chose Henry Cavill as the optimal successor to Daniel Craig following the latter’s retirement from the James Bond franchise. Since Cavill is 38 years old as of 2021, he may portray Bond on screen for a significant period. 

Final Thoughts

Any of these actors mentioned above are likely to give an ample portrayal of James Bond in the cinema. Still, if you’ve got someone else in mind fit to occupy the spot, feel free to air your view in the comment section.