Theo James wants Anya Taylor-Joy to be the next James Bond.

The Gentleman actor previously ruled himself out of the running to portray the suave spy, but he's a big fan of the Queen's Gambit actress and thinks she has what it takes to be the first woman to lead the franchise.

Asked who he thinks should get the coveted role, he told Extra: "Anya Taylor-Joy. I actually remember watching The Queen's Gambit and thinking she would be a great Bond, Jane Bond."

The 41-year-old actor recently admitted he considers himself "definitely too old" to play 007 and he didn't think the public scrutiny that comes with the role would be "worth it".

He told GQ magazine: "Imagine, suddenly, you and I cannot walk down the street. What that does to your children, who are trying to find themselves in the midst of hyper-scrutiny and fame. None of that, to me, is worth it.

"At the time, it's very intoxicating, being offered some huge, sexy part that would change your life forever. But it really wouldn't ultimately be worth it."

He added that playing Bond would be "an example of a place you could never come back from."

Rumours have suggested Bond producers had narrowed the shortlist of actors to three hopefuls - Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O'Connor. However, it has since been reported that Hollywood actors Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult - who have starred as Batman and Lex Luthor respectively for DC Studios - have both auditioned for the role of James Bond.

News of Pattinson and Hoult's auditions came as a surprise as it was recently claimed that O'Connor had secured the role after successfully negotiating the final stages of the auditions with Amazon MGM Studios.

The Crown star, 36, had been appearing in the play Golden Boy in Islington, north London, and The Sun newspaper reported one of his castmates let the Bond casting news slip after a "few glasses of lager" at a pub in Soho.

A source told the publication: "I bumped into one of Josh's Golden Boy cast mates at The French House. A lot of people asked for selfies and we got chatting in a corner completely by accident.

"Out of nowhere, and oiled by a few glasses of lager, they blurted out that Josh was the next James Bond. I said it was pure speculation but they were insistent it was Josh.

"They said that he had confided in them about getting the role when the cast of Golden Boy had celebratory drinks after the play finished its run on Halloween."

James Bond producer Amy Pascal has previously insisted the new 007 will be revealed to film fans by the end of 2026.

She told Deadline.com: "I would say the end of the year is a good bet. We are being really, really methodical."