It has been nearly three years since the release of Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in ‘No Time To Die’.
Now that the actor has confirmed that he has hung up his 007 tux for good there has been no letup in the speculation over who will succeed him in one of the world’s biggest film franchaises, following in the footsteps of Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan.
And there has also been a huge amount of speculation as to who will be behind the camera for the next blockbuster.
Since British director Terence Young took on the first two films in the series, Dr. No and From Russia With Love (he also returned for the fourth, Thunderball), there have been a total of 27 instalments (two of them unofficial) in the moneyspinning franchaise.
John Glen has directed the most, with five entries spanning the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton years, while Sam Mendes brought Oscar-winning gravitas to the more recent Skyfall and Spectre.
Here are the 13 most likely candidates to take on the next 007 film accorfing to the bookies.
1. Edward Berger - 5/4
German director Edward Berger is b est known for his 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front which won four Academy Awards and seven BAFTAS, making it the most successful foreign language film in history. He's following it up this this year with Conclave, a film about choosing a new Pope starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, which is already an awards favourite. He's 5/4 favourite to bring his skills to the world's biggest spy franchaise. | Getty Images for ZFF
2. Greta Gerwig - 2/1
There seems to be little that three-times Oscar nominated Greta Gerwig can't do. All three films she's directed have been critically acclaimed, she turned Barbie into an unlikely-sounding billion dollar hit and is currently writing the live action remake of Disney classic Snow White and reportedly rebooting the Narnia franchaise. If she can squeeze it into her diary, she's 2/1 second favourite to take on Bond. | Getty Images
3. Christopher Nolan - 4/1
This year saw Christopher Nolan win a couple of Oscars for biopic Oppenheimer and the director is no stranger to big-budget blockbuster franchaises - following his Dark Knight Batman trilogy. No wonder he's fancied to take over the reins of the Bond films - with odds of 4/1. | Getty Images
4. Gina Prince-Bythewood - 4/1
American director Gina Prince-Bythewood has progressed through television and independent films to big blockbusters including The Woman King (for which she was Bafta nominated) and comic book film The Old Guard. She's priced at 4/1 to direct the next Bond film. | Getty Images