According to Deadline's Cannes correspondent, 007 casting director Nina Gold has gone on record about what she's looking for in the next James Bond: someone who can genuinely act, skews young enough to carry the franchise forward — and, perhaps most crucially, radiates undeniable sex appeal. It's a deceptively simple brief for what is arguably the most scrutinized casting search in Hollywood.
Why This Matters for the Next Era of Bond
Gold's comments reframe the search in an interesting way. The debate around Bond's successor has often centered on identity — nationality, background, whether it's time for a dramatic reinvention of the character. But by centering sex appeal and youth alongside raw acting chops, Gold is pointing toward something more classical: a performer who can embody Bond's magnetic, dangerous charm from day one, not just grow into it. That's a tall order, and it immediately throws open the fan conversation. Who actually has that combination right now? Who fits the physical and charismatic mold while also being a credible dramatic actor with years of franchise runway ahead of them?
For myCast users who've been building dream casts and debating contenders for years, this is the moment the speculation gets real.
What myCast Fans Are Saying
The myCast community has been casting the next Bond across several active stories, and the data reveals some genuinely compelling consensus picks — as well as a few intriguing dark horses.
The most voted-on story, James Bond, has accumulated 22 total votes, and one name has run away with the Bond role itself: Richard Madden sits at a commanding 15 votes. That's not a close race — it's a statement. Madden, best known for Bodyguard and Game of Thrones, checks nearly every box Gold described. He's in his mid-thirties, has proven dramatic range, and — it's hard to argue otherwise — he has the kind of screen presence that stops a room. The same story sees Ralph Fiennes picking up 3 votes for M and Naomie Harris earning 2 votes for Moneypenny, both of whom feel like smart connective tissue picks for a rebooted continuity.
Over in the story with 8 total votes, the fan picks take a notably different, more ensemble-minded direction. leads as Bond — another intriguing choice, given his brooding physicality and the cult following he built on Poldark. Turner is arguably even more of a left-field pick than Madden, but he absolutely fits the "ooze sex appeal" brief Gold laid out. That story also features a richly imagined supporting cast: as Miles Messervy, as Major Boothroyd, as Moneypenny, and as Felix Leiter — a genuinely thoughtful fan cast that deserves more attention.