'I'll throw my hat into the ring': Homeland star David Harewood admits he'd love to take over from Daniel Craig as James Bond 

By Kate Thomas And Rachel Mcgrath For Mailonline

Published: 10:42 EST, 8 October 2015 | Updated: 12:38 EST, 8 October 2015

Daniel Craig has joked he'd rather slit his wrists than reprise his role as James Bond for a fifth time.

And he's already got countless of actors lining up to replace him as 007, with Homeland star David Harewood now confessing he would love the challenge of playing the iconic British spy.

The 49-year-old actor told the Evening Standard: 'Everyone wants to be James Bond and there’s a queue of guys ahead of me - but I will throw my hat into the ring.'

Scroll down for video: 

Dream role: Homeland star David Harewood has confessed he would love to take over the role of James Bond from Daniel Craig 

David added: 'Bond is such an iconic role, you would have to seriously think how to approach it.'

It's been widely speculated that producers could be casting the first racially diverse Bond, and Pierce Brosnan - who played Bond from 1995 to 2002 - recent declared there was 'no reason' a black actor couldn't be next.

But David didn't seem optimistic about the chances, saying: 'Anything is possible - but I think he’ll be male and he’ll be white.'

Done: Daniel Craig has said he'd rather 'slash his wrists' than return for a fifth time as James Bond

The actor's comments come after Daniel shocked fans by joking, 'I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists', when quizzed about the possibility of him making another Bond film. 

'We’re done. All I want to do is move on,' the 47-year-old actor added during an interview with London's Time Out magazine. 

He said he's not talking with anyone about staying on in Her Majesty's Secret Service but added the caveat that if he were to do another Bond movie, 'it would only be for the money.’

He was paid $10.7 million for Skyfall, making him the highest-paid Bond actor ever, and the film was the first Bond movie to break the one billion dollar mark.

Hugely successful: Craig, 47, was paid $10.7 million to star in Skyfall and the movie, directed by Sam Mendes, became the first Bond film to gross more than one billion dollars worldwide

After the success of Skyfall it was reported he brokered a deal to be paid £31 million for his next two 007 films, including the soon-to-be-released Spectre, the 24th film in the franchise.

TMZ reports that Daniel Craig's co-star Christopher Waltz said there can be no one else apart from Craig playing the role. 

When asked who could replace him, he simply replied: 'He shouldn't be replaced at all.'  

He confirmed to the Mail On Sunday's Event magazine in September that there's a deal in place that might require him to keep going.

'I’m contracted for one more but I’m not going to make predictions,' he told Event.

Craig's fourth outing as 007 comes in Spectre, opening later this month, and directed once again by Skyfall's Sam Mendes.

Craig's comments in the Time Out interview published Wednesday aren't the first time he's dissed the role that catapulted him to international stardom and helped him bank millions of dollars. 

When asked if he would continue as 007 by Esquire magazine in August, he said: 'At this moment, no. I have a life and I've got to get on with it a bit. But we'll see.' 

Lucrative role: Craig banked millions of dollars thanks to Bond. The 007 star, pictured at a photocall for Spectre with co-star Lea Seydoux in January, said if he does return for a fifth movie, it would only be for money

'I'm incredibly fortunate. But the day I can walk into a pub and someone goes, "Oh, there's Daniel Craig" and then just leaves me alone, that'll be great,' he said. 

Betting is already underway on which actor will replace Craig.

Luther star Idris Elba has long been a firm fan favorite, while in June, bookies reported heavy betting on Wolf Hall star Damian Lewis as the next 007.

Others considered possible replacements for Craig include Richard Madden, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy.

But whoever it is, Craig professes to not 'give a f***.'

The name's Elba....: Luther and The Wire star Idris Elba has long been a fan favorite to take over the 007 mantle from Craig

Hot bet: In June, bookmakers reported a flurry of bets being placed on Homeland and Wolf Hall star Damian Lewis to be cast in the iconic spy role. The actor's pictured as Henry the Eighth in the PBS costume drama

'Good luck to them,' he said. 'All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we’ve left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better.'

As for his advice for whoever next gets to drive the Aston Martin: 'Don't be s**t.' 

The highly-anticipated movie Spectre, co-starring Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, opens October 26 in the UK and in North America on November 6.

Passing the torch: Craig, pictured on the London set of Spectre in May, had some simple advice for whoever gets to take on the role of 007 next: 'Don't be s**t'

Comments (231)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now