Auditions for the next James Bond

Have the frontrunners for the role as the next James Bond been auditioning for the part?  and more significantly do these roles suggest the type of Bond they will be?

Tom Hiddleston – The Night Manager: My new favourite for the part thanks to his performance the John le Carré penned TV show.  He is likely to bring more charm and sophistication than we have seen before with Bond.  There have been questions about him as a action star, I wouldn’t worry, similar questions were asked of Daniel Craig.

Damian Lewis – Our Kind of Traitor: One time bookies favourite also appeared in an adaptation of a John le Carré story, Lewis’ character is more Harry Palmer than James Bond, or is it just the glasses that make me say that?  He is a good actor and I am sure he could be a good Bond, I just don’t see him in the part.

Michael Fassbender – X-Men: Apocalypse: My previous favourite seemed to have slipped out of the reckoning but it has suggested that he is still the producers favourite.  You may not think X-Men is much of an audition for Bond, however, Fassbender does show both emotion and comedy.  He would be perfect as the emotionally damaged Bond from the later Fleming novels.

Idris Elba – Bastille Day: His part as a European based CIA agent puts Elba front and centre as an action Bond.  I would still love to see Elba as Bond but think at 46 by the time we see Bond 25 he is too old to make more than two or three films.  Will the producers want a younger actor?

Also in contention:

Poldark star Aidan Turner is the current bookies favourite.  H enough about him to comment.  Jamie Bell is a great actor but I don’t see him as Bond.  Tom Hardy is another fan favourite.  He was great as Mad Max, I don’t see him as Bond.  Henry Cavill famously just missed out to Craig for Casino Royale (2006), a lacklustre performance in Batman v Superman won’t help his chances.  If the right script and the right director comes along, I wouldn’t discount Daniel Craig returning one last time.