Jamie Dornan Talks Being On The James Bond Shortlist And Shares His Prediction For Daniel Craig’s Replacement

Jamie Dornan's Christian Grey being interviewed by Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey
(Image credit: Universal)

There are long-running movie franchises, and then there’s James Bond. Moviegoers have been following 007’s adventures for decades, with entire generations brought up on the beloved property. Daniel Craig ended his tenure as Bond in No Time to Die, and fans have been wondering who might be taking on the mantle as the next tuxedo-clad hero. And Jamie Dornan recently spoke about being on the Bond shortlist, and shared his prediction for Craig’s replacement.

There are long- running movie franchises, and then there’s James Bond. Moviegoers have been following 007’s adventures for decades, with entire generations brought up on the beloved property. Daniel Craig me remains toward the top of lists for the possible next James Bond. The 40 year-old actor recently spoke to Radio Times about the continued rumors about him possibly playing 007, saying:

Of course it’s nice to be in those conversations. If you’re an actor of a certain age who’s had a good year, there’s an inevitability about it [being mentioned]. But they’ll probably replace Daniel Craig with somebody who’s never been on one of those lists.

Some solid points were made. While the internet is constantly debating which familiar face might be playing James Bond in the next movie by Eon Productions, Jamie Dornan doesn’t actually think he or the other contenders will be chosen. Regardless, he seems thrilled that he’s been included alongside other contenders like Henry Cavill and Idris Elba. We’ll just have to wait and see what Barbara Broccoli and company have up their sleeves for the future of the property.

Jamie Dornan’s comments about those James Bond odds lists come as he’s promoting his new HBO series The Tourist. Eventually the conversation turned to those 007 rumors, as generations of fans eagerly wait to see who will be taking the baton from Daniel Craig. But it’s unclear exactly when another actor will be cast and announced as everyone’s favorite superspy. Fingers crossed its sooner rather than later.

It’s almost hard to believe it, but Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond lasted a whopping 15 years and five wildly successful blockbusters. He brought a hulking physicality to the role, and the movies embraced serialized storytelling, rather than functioning as an anthology series. It should be fascinating to see not only who takes on the mantle, but how the franchise as a whole changes for the next stage in its life on the big screen. For his part, Dornan doesn’t think any of the popular fan choices are going to be where things ultimately go.

Regardless of any 007 involvement, Jamie Dornan has been definitely keeping busy, taking a variety of projects in both TV and film. In 2021 he paired a role in Awards Season favorite Belfast with the bonkers comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Coming up he’ll once again re-team with Kenneth Branagh on A Haunting in Venice, the next installment of the Hercule Poirot mystery series. 

No Time to Die is available for home purchase now. Jamie Dornan’s TV series The Tourist will arrive on HBO Max on March 3rd, and has already been renewed for a second season. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.