Hunting for 007

O Which actor is the fan favourite to become the new James Bond?

WHO will be the new 007? Since Daniel Craig hung up the James Bond suit, fans’ eyes are turning to their favourite actors. So, which stars would fans most like to see take the wheel of Bond’s legendary Aston Martin?

That question was put to more than 1,300 US fans of the British spy. A survey by Morning Consult proposed the participants a predefined list of plausible candidates.

And it turns out that Tom Hardy is the top choice for almost half of respondents, with 49% of fans favourable to the actor taking on the role, compared to just 10% of unfavourable opinions. The star is already involved in another lucrative movie franchise as Venom in the Marvel universe.

This kind of profile seems to appeal to fans of 007. According to the survey results, the top trio is made up of three actors already involved in superhero franchises.

After slipping into Superman’s costume, Henry Cavill was chosen as James Bond fans’ second favourite actor to take on the role. The star has already announced plans to leave The Witcher and to reprise his role as Superman.

Finally, Tom Hiddleston, another superhero actor, comes in third place. The star, who plays Loki in the Marvel universe, charmed 38% of James Bond fans polled.

Also in the list are Andrew Garfield, one of the three SpiderMan actors, and Richard Madden, who starred in Game of Thrones.

While Idris Elba has already said that he isn’t interested in the role, much to the dismay of fans, the results of the survey confirm that 51% of respondents are interested in seeing a Black James Bond on

screen, while 38% are interested in an Asian James Bond. In fact, Henry Golding comes sixth in the ranking.

However, 79% of Bond fans said that they would still go to see the movie, regardless of the actor chosen. This percentage drops to 56% among the American adult population.

James Bond fans’ favourite actors to play 007 (% favourable)

1. Tom Hardy - 49%

2. Henry Cavill - 43%

3. Tom Hiddleston - 38%

4. Andrew Garfield - 36%

5. Richard Madden, John Boyega 30%

6. Henry Golding - 29%

7. James Norton, Dev Patel, Joseph Quinn, Nicholas Hoult - 27% 8. Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey, Will Poulter, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Fabien Frankel - 25% – ETX Studio

AFP Wax figures of James Bond actors (from far left) Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Pierce Brosnan at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Berlin. –

AFP Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill are among 007 fans’ favourite actors in the running to take over the role of James Bond. –

Movie. – AFP Daniel Craig left the role with a bang at the end of the last Bond

Shaken not stirfried ... Henry Golding has also been linked to the vacated role.