British actor Daniel Craig was the face of the popular spy drama franchise from 2006 to 2021. He holds the record of having the longest tenure as James Bond, and replaced Pierce Brosnan after the box office failure of the 2002 released Die Another Day. 

Daniel Craig was introduced to the multi-million dollar spy franchise in 2006, with Casino Royale. Now, reportedly, Marvel actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson could be the next James Bond, after the long and illustrious run of Daniel Craig.
Daniel Craig in Casino Royale

After years of speculation around the new face of James Bond, the franchise has finally found a suitable actor for the world-renowned spy.

According to The Sun, British actor Aaron-Taylor Johnson has been formally offered the role of the charming 007 spy, after Daniel Craig. The next movie would be the 26th installment of the James Bond franchise.

BBC  reportedly approached Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Eon Productions for a comment, but a production insider stated that there was no truth in the speculation with respect to the British actor being the next face of the James Bond franchise.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Bullet Train
During a recent interview with Numero Magazine, Taylor-Johnson revealed that it is no less than a compliment when fans see him as the next Bond. He said-

I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment. 

The 33-year-old actor rose to fame with his performance as John Lennon in the 2009 biopic Nowhere Boy.

He has been a significant part of movies like Godzilla, Tenet, Bullet Train, and Anna Karenina. Taylor-Johnson even earned a Golden Globe for Nocturnal Animals.

After Henry Cavill took an exit from the DC in 2023, fans speculated that the Man Of Steel actor is ready to take over the James Bond franchise. He was last seen in Matthew Vaughn-directed meta-spy drama Argylle. 

Daniel Craig Believes That Accepting James Bond’s Role Was One Of The Scariest Decisions Of His Acting Career

With five installments, Daniel Craig held the job of James Bond for 15 years. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter Podcast in 2022, the English actor revealed that he took a risk by signing his first James Bond movie Casino Royale in 2006.

He was apprehensive about taking on the role and becoming the face of the popular spy. He said-

I knew that it would flip it and that there would be no going back to who I was or what I was, either personally or professionally.

And that was very, very, very scary. It felt like I was risking something — I didn’t know what that was, but I was risking something.

Daniel Craig in No Time To Die
He further continued to say-

But the decision I made, at the end of the day, was that if I didn’t do it, I would regret it.

I had this joke with a friend that [if I passed on the role then] in 20 or 30 years’ time I’d be sitting at a bar in a corner going, ‘I could have been Bond, you know!’ And that’s not the person I wanted to be.

Daniel Craig had big shoes to fill and on being offered the role by producer Barbara Broccoli, claimed that he could not agree to anything until he was given a script.

Craig mentioned his biggest fear was that he would end up making the same impression as previous James Bond actors, and wanted to give a unique edge to the character.

He played the character of James Bond in Casino Royale, followed by Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die.