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Please welcome to the stage: the UK survey about James Bond that we didn’t know we needed. Cue 007’s intro music.

The results are in after 3500 fervent Bond fans were asked about their dream candidate to succeed Daniel Craig as the suave secret agent following the conclusion of his tenure with No Time To Die.

It’s no surprise that handsome gent Idris Elba secured the top spot in the recent poll, considering he has been a firm favourite of fans of the franchise for many years.

The casino and betting franchise that organised the voting, William Hill Vegas, has now revealed that undeniable frontrunner Elba scored a whopping 17.5 percent of the public’s vote.

The stamp of approval for Elba from fans comes with a healthy side of disappointment though, as franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have previously outlined specific prerequisites for the next Bond. The chosen actor should ideally be in their early 30s and committed to portraying the character for at least a decade; so no Elba, sadly, if the creators stick to their word.

But Elba, who recently played our very own Nelson Mandela in a biopic, is not the only juicy gentleman fans want to see as Bond. British hunk Tom Hardy came in close to Elba’s score, with 16.6 percent and dreamy fantasy-flick lad Henry Cavill trailed in with an impressive 16.5 percent.

 

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One contender drawing considerable attention is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, whose been making a name for himself with the marvel universe. The young rising star is 33, and could be a solid choice for our next 007.

 

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While a lot of the survey focussed on who our next secret spy sex icon should be, the research team also asked fans what their all-time fave Bond film is.

Skyfall, featuring blue-eyed Daniel Craig, claimed the top spot with 17.5 percent of the vote, overshadowing the second-ranked Goldfinger (8.5 percent), starring the late Sean Connery. Newer is not necessarily better!

Craig’s farewell performance, No Time To Die, secured a respectable third place with 7 percent.

In contrast, Connery’s final appearance as 007 in Never Say Never Again was crowned the least liked Bond film, accumulating a mere 0.6 percent of the vote. Eish, maybe it was the mouthy, unappealing title that did it.

As the Bond universe continues to evolve, the creators better take heed of a passionate fanbase that is highly opinionated when it comes to who’ll be sippin’ martinis (shaken, not stirred) on the big screen.

[source:nme]