There have been many iconic James Bond villains over the years, as well as some memorable allies who have helped out 007, but one actor memorably played both a villain and an ally of Bond. The search continues to find the right actor to play the next James Bond, following the end of Daniel Craig's time in the iconic role. However, with such a long-running franchise, it is perhaps not surprising that there have been some actors who have appeared in more than one role throughout the series. 1p1cg

There have been plenty of fascinating James Bondtheories over the years, with one intriguing idea linking Skyfall back to the Pierce Brosnan era. As a franchise that has continually evolved since Sean Connery first portrayed 007 in Dr. No back in 1962, the way Bond has been updated for every subsequent generation means that there’s a lot of history and lore to this iconic espionage series. Since different actors portraying Bond throughout the years and the franchise receiving a hard reboot in Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale, it’s understandable that viewers want to find a way to link everything together.

After all these years, I still want to see Henry Cavill in a James Bond movie, but I don't think he should play the iconic British spy. Now that Amazon has full creative control of the franchise and progress will seemingly start being made on the Bond 26 soon, some fans are rooting for Cavill to be cast in the lead role. Cavill has been a popular fancast for James Bond for many years, practically ever since he lost the role to Daniel Craig for 2006's Casino Royale.

Each era of the James Bondfranchise usually has a bedding-in period in which the new actor finds their feet in the role, but Pierce Brosnan nailed it at the first attempt with Goldeneye. There have been six James Bond actors in the official Eon franchise, with David Niven also playing 007 in 1967's Casino Royale. Brosnan played Ian Fleming's spy on four occasions, starting with Goldeneye and ending with 2002's Die Another Day. Other Bond actors took a little while to produce results, but Brosnan's interpretation of the character was immediately successful.

The currently untitled James Bond 26 movie is in active development at Amazon MGM Studios, and the studio should try to return to an Ian Fleming trend that hasn't been seen in the franchise since Quantum of Solace. With so many James Bond movies, and so many different interpretations of the character possible, it is difficult to know what the next iteration of 007 and his world might look like. However, regardless of how much it deviates from past films, there are some important franchise hallmarks that the new iteration should look to implement.

Halle Berry has weighed in on whether James Bond should be played by a woman. Berry played a prominent role in 2002's Die Another Day, in which Pierce Brosnan played the iconic MI6 agent. Berry's Jinx is actually one of the most unique Bond girls since there were originally plans to develop a spinoff based on her character. While the Jinx spinoff was eventually canceled, Berry's thoughts on a female James Bond are still worth considering ahead of the 26th movie in the long-running spy franchise.

James Bond 26 is confirmed to be on the way, but its recasting of 007 will be especially challenging after Daniel Craig's five-movie run. Created by Ian Fleming, James Bond has now been played by seven actors in total (if one includes David Niven), with Craig following the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan, among others. After decades of the franchise operating under the control of the Broccoli family and Eon Productions, Amazon acquired total control over Bond earlier this year, and getting another 007 movie off the ground will be a top priority.

Despite having a story that's similar to many films in the James Bond franchise, Black Bag is much more grounded than any movie in the long-running spy series. Black Bag, which is directed by Steven Soderbergh, is one of the best movies of 2025 so far, and this is largely due to the fact that it is unlike many other films that have been released in recent years. Black Bag is a spy film, but rather than focusing on high-stakes action, it is mostly comprised of fascinating character interactions.

The future of the James Bond franchise is somewhat uncertain following the series’ acquisition by Amazon MGM, but there are several interesting routes that Bond 26 could take in order to revitalize the series. Two of the most popular options are an “Old Bond” movie, which would follow James Bond’s later years, and a “Young Bond” movie, which could act as a kind of prequel to the existing movies. However, fans can’t quite agree on which fresh idea would be best.

Four actors, who are considered great prospects for the next James Bond role, surprisingly broke big in the same 18-year-old TV show. It has been a while since Daniel Craig hung up his boots and stepped away from the James Bond franchise. However, it is still unknown who will take up the mantle of the iconic spy character in the next line of films. Ever since Craig's retirement, the internet has been brimming with fan castings and speculations about who would be the best fit for the role.