As our evil overlords at Amazon have now ousted the Broccoli family, it seems that the wheels of Bond 26 have started turning, and it seems more likely we shall receive a more populist bond rather than the Lazenby/Craig plucked-from-obscurity type casting we’re used to. As a result, let’s take some of the most odds-on favourites and see whether there’s any merit in that casting.

Henry Cavill – 4/1 Odds

Visually Cavill is what you may expect from a typical Bond: he’s suave, muscular, handsome, and he’s already a bonafide action star. Hell, he’s already been in Guy Richie’s own American rival to Bond in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., it’s a shame this film was mildly average and a commercial flop because it could’ve spawned a whole series of CIA/KGB espionage hijinks. He has a reasonably clear future schedule for filming with only a few projects in pre-production, so realistically he could film Bond 26 relatively quickly if they had a script and director whipped up in time.

The problem with Cavill is that it’s just too obvious and too easy. Of course he could be a good Bond, he spoofed one in Argylle for crying out loud. But would it be a fresh take on Bond? Would it be an interesting direction for the new Bond UNIVERSE that I’m sure Bezos is salivating for. It would shoehorn him into a character he’s already been playing forever, meaning we would never get more fantastic roles from him such as Mission Impossible – Fallout. Henry, you’ve just finished the decade long slog of Superman, would Bond even be that more interesting?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson – 7/1 Odds

Taylor-Johnson is again one of the most attractive actors in Hollywood right now, and he’s a guy who is just begging for a few successive hit films that have him in the lead. Arguably his last great film with him as the lead was his breakthrough Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn’s fantastic ultra violent comic-book movie before that genre got over saturated. He excels currently in that area where you say “oh I didn’t know he was in this” when he rocks up 30 minutes in (Tenet, The Fall Guy, Nosferatu). He is begging for a leading role and maybe it’s the perfect time to grasp it in one of the biggest franchises out there whilst you’re still relatively young and have some buzz about you.

Again though, too obvious? Is there a reason why he has only had 1 lead role in the last 7 years (that being the flop Kraven the Hunter)? I’m unsure, but last year when the fake news came out that Taylor-Johnson had been cast, most people nodded along in agreement so if Bezos wants to bring the people round to his side maybe it’s the best decision.

Jack Lowden – 7/1 Odds

If they’re asking me (they’re not), Lowden would be my choice. He has had a decent film and TV career so far, always flying under the radar as a strong up and coming talent, he has an everyman look to him that could blend in all over the world, has a certain level of charm to him too. He’s the type of pick that the Broccoli family might have made had Amazon not came in with their big meaty claws. At 34 he’s the perfect age for the new era, enough experience to look believable but with age on his side to be able to play the character for a decade plus. The fact that he has done a lot of TV is good if the Bond universe does unfortunately branch out to different mediums.

But then again, Lowden is not a household name. If Bezos wants to appeal to the American audience I’m not sure he’s going to pick an understated British actor when he has other British actors that the Yanks already have a relationship with. Unless of course they have been watching Slow Horses, but I don’t know anyone who has actually watched that (as with most Apple TV+ shows) so I can’t say.

Theo James – 11/2 Odds

Nipping this one in the bud right now, this would not be my choice for Bond ever really. James has managed to get away from the teen dramas that built his career, but since then I still haven’t seen any performances from him that have wowed me enough to give him the mantle of the biggest action character in cinema. The Monkey was a perfectly fine film that he was miscast not once but twice in my opinion. Theo is best placed in the shows that have people fawning over his good looks because he does have the face of an angel, but the acting of a plank. Sorry Theo.

James Norton – 9/1 Odds

James Norton is the pick of someone who has watched solely ITV dramas. James Norton in the lead, Sheridan Smith as Moneypenny, Stephen Graham as Blofeld. There we go, ITV bond has been cast. The problem there is that there is no international star power with James Norton, and he’s not an up and comer either; turning 40 this year, he won’t be that young man Bond I imagine they’re looking for, he’s more akin to a Quantum of Solace Bond and I doubt they want more of that.

Harris Dickinson – 10/1 Odds

Harris is a young lad at 29, he’s lean and a bit spindly and a little bland sometimes. Maybe that’s a good jump off point for a very early days Bond? Maybe he’ll grow into the role as he ages, and become the ideal Bond of his (our?) generation. But I highly doubt it, having just signed on to be John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ 4-film Beatles-athon, I doubt he will now have the time to film Bond so I think this one’s now off the table. Always thought he was a poor mans George Mackay anyway.

Tom Burke – 200/1 Odds

Now disregard all I have said previously, if we want a truly interesting and layered Bond from a maybe little too old for it actor, then I think an inspired choice would be Tom Burke. He was recently brilliant as Praetorian Jack in Furiosa and he has been slowly building a decent career for himself ever since Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir. He has a distinctive look, that kind of razor edged balance between good and evil, and he’s a damn good actor. Want an outside choice then go with him I say.

Overall, I feel like Amazon are going to go obvious here. They’re going to want to build this new brand and IP (ugh horrible word) around this actor, he is going to be the face plastered on the Amazon Prime home screen for years to come, so surely it’s going to be someone they can recognise right? I just pray they don’t oversaturate the whole series, but you already know that’s going to happen.