There are major movie franchises, and then there’s the James Bond movies. Generations of moviegoers grew up watching 007‘s adventures on the big screen, and Daniel Craig’s Bond movies reached their conclusion with No Time To Die. Ever since then fans have been wondering who might replace him, and Theo James is one popular choice online. And the White Lotus actor recently got honest about that ongoing chatter, and if he’d actually want to play the beloved MI6 agent.
What we know about Bond 26 is super limited, but Denis Villeneuve‘s involvement is encouraging. No Time To Die‘s ending killed off James, and the pressure is on to find the perfect replacement for Daniel Craig. In a recent interview from Extra TV’s YouTube, James was asked about the fan casting of him as 007, saying:
I don’t even know… I think every British actor or non-British actor seems to be linked to [Bond at] the moment. It’s great rumor circling.
He’s not wrong. For years now folks have been betting on the odds of the next Bond replacement, with Theo James being just one of many British actors whose name has been thrown around online. Of course, the question is whether or not he’d actually be interested.
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This conversation happened while James was promoting his role in The Gentlemen Season 2 (streaming with a Netflix subscription). He got honest about the toll that taking on such an iconic role would take, offering:
I’ve always said, with a character like that, I think what you sacrifice in terms of privacy and reality of life are too large a thing to take. When you have children and you have a vaguely normal life, I think it would be too complicated a world to step into, if that makes sense.
Points were made. While playing Bond is a dream for many actors, it comes with a huge responsibility. That includes lots of travel, new fame, and the physical toll of playing 007 in multiple movies. Just look at how many injuries Daniel Craig sustained during his time as the martini-drinking agent.
It sounds like the Divergent actor doesn’t want the fame that comes with playing James, especially where his family is concerned. In some ways this echoes Theo James’ previous Bond comments, where he said that the franchise probably wants something new that he can’t bring to the character. So it looks like we should cross him off of fan cast lists.
Luckily for fans of James, he’s rocking a tux and kicking ass as Edward “Eddie” Horniman in The Gentlemen. Season 2 just premiered as part of the 2026 TV schedule, so those who want to see him as James Bond can get their fix over on Netflix.
