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.
And there has also been a huge amount of speculation as to who will be behind the camera for the next blockbuster.
13. Danny Boyle - 14/1
Trainspotting director Danny Boyle was supposed to take the helm of Daniel Craig's Bond swansong No Time To Die, but left the project due to 'creative differences'. He's 14/1 to have another crack at the film series. | Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images