James Bond

By now, you probably have a preferred actor in mind for James Bond. Maybe it’s Idris Elba. Maybe it’s Tom Hiddleston. Maybe it’s Gillian Anderson. You could probably make a compelling argument for or against every actor currently working today; regardless, it’s fun to watch both fans and actors alike cast a pretty wide net for the role. The fact that nothing is off the table this time around can only mean good things for the future of the franchis

It can seem these days like people only make indie movies for the chance to direct blockbusters. Somebody makes a little Sundance movie with a little buzz and suddenly they’re directing the next Jurassic Park or Rocky or Godzilla. Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the few indie filmmakers who has, to date, avoided the temptation to go big. After the cult success of Drive, he had his opportunity to make the jump to the mainstream. And he flirted with some Hollywood projects; for a time, he was attached to the remake of Logan’s Run with Drive star Ryan Gosling. But nothing ever materialized, and Refn continued making stranger and more personal films, with 2013’s Only God Forgives and his latest film, The Neon Demon.

Tom Hiddleston hasn’t seemed particularly enthusiastic or optimistic about reprising the role of Loki in the MCU, but with Avengers: Infinity War promising the epic assembly of Marvel characters yet and a new Thor sequel on the way, the actor’s return seemed inevitable. During a recent appearance at Wizard World, Hiddleston expressed excitement for Thor: Ragnarok, teasing the evolution of his mischievous villain and confirming another run-in with the Hulk. Oh, and he also responded to those James Bond rumors.

Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Khaleesi, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men; Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen has a lot of nicknames. But the ‘Game of Thrones’ actress is looking to add one more to her resume: James Bond. Or I should say, Jane Bond.

Yes, you’ve heard it before, but Sam Mendes really means it this time. Even though he said Skyfall was his last James Bond film, and even though he directed Spectre anyway, and even though he already said Spectre would be his final outing with 007, this time he means business. Mendes is officially done with James Bond, and it’s hard not to believe that he’s for-really-real about it considering the rampant rumors (with supporting evidence) of Daniel Craig’s exit.

Hiddleston, Tom Hiddleston.

This whole “will they or won’t they” thing between Daniel Craig and the James Bond franchise has become more ridiculous than Ross and Rachel. And now Craig is adding a bit more fuel to the Bond-fire as the actor is preparing to join the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, making his return to the world of 007 seem increasingly unlikely.

Daniel Craig couldn’t have made it more clear during the Spectre press tour that he was pretty sick of playing James Bond. He even went so far as to suggest he’d pick slashing his wrists over returning as the famous secret agent for a fifth time. And now it looks like the actor is really done as 007, reportedly turning down a ton of money to star in the next Bond film. As big of a bummer as that is, it also means it’s time to speculate!

How much would it take to get you to play James Bond? Personally, I would do it for a couple grand if they let me keep my wardrobe and the watch and the car.

If you like James Bond movies, you have several people to thank for your hero. Ian Fleming, obviously; he wrote the original Bond novels. Harry Saltzman and Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, who produced and guided the franchise for decades; Terence Young, who directed the first two movies with star Sean Connery. And then there’s Guy Hamilton, who helmed perhaps the greatest Bond adventure of them all, Goldfinger. Sadly, per the BBC, Hamilton past away on Wednesday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Majorca. He was 93 years old.