Although Sony have offered silly money to keep him on, Daniel Craig has hinted that Spectre could well be his last gig for the British Secret Service, stating he would “slash his wrists” than do another 007 film.

So just in case, if you fancy placing a punt alongside your sports betting with netbet, you could make a few quid with one of these suitors.

Idris Elba

This Luther stars been a frontrunner for a while now, since 2005.  Daniel Craig himself has also championed Idris, who would be the first black actor to play Bond.  Could be big.

James Norton

The bookies have been slashing odds on him playing Bond, James Bond to around 18/1. His work in Happy Valley, Grantchester and War & Peace will have increased his chances.

Gillian Anderson

I love love this.  I love Gillian.  She retweeted a picture of herself in a fan-made 007 poster. Doubt it though…

Aidan Turner

Poldark has made Turner a household name with his Irish charm and manly good looks. A fan favourite, for sure.

Matthew Lewis

Can handle the pressure, as he has form with Harry Potter, where he need up as a heroic badass.  Bond could push Matthew Lewis to superstardom.

 

The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming’s death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelizations: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd and Anthony Horowitz. The latest novel is Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz, published in September 2015. Additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrookwrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.

With two Academy Awards, a filmography that has grossed over 8.5 billion dollars, and arguably one of the most loveable faces on the faces of the planet, Tom Hanks has certainly had a career that most actors would give arm for.  His latest film A Hologram For the King, is an inspirational story of a man struggling to turn his life around in a foreign land, based on Dave Eggers novel of the same name.

Available on digital platforms on 12^th September and on Blu-ray and DVD from 19^th September, 2016, A Hologram For The King features a Tom Hanks performance that audiences have come to treasure from his catalogue of classic films over the years. In order to truly appreciate the man himself, we’re taking a look back at some of his most iconic roles, and be assured that narrowing it down to this list was no easy task.

A Hologram For The King (2016)

In many of the films of this list, Hanks serves as a leader and authoritarian, but in A Hologram For The King he plays a man struggling to find his purpose in the world, lost both figuratively and physically in the foreign land of Saudi Arabia. Alan Clay (Hanks) hopes to sell a state-of-the-art 3D holographic meeting system to the nation’s King. But once he begins work he quickly learns that he will have to adapt to a different culture and way of doing business in order to be successful. After suffering a panic attack in his hotel room, Alan meets a beautiful Saudi Doctor whose presence has a profound effect, leading him to question the path his life has taken. Hanks’ signature charm and depth guides us on an inspirational journey of self discovery, leading to the conclusion that there really is nothing this man can’t do.

Big (1988)

Before the days of the multiple prestigious awards coming out of his ears, Mr. Hanks was making hearts around the world melt as a child who was magically turned into a grown man overnight. Still living with 13-year-old’s mentality, Josh (Hanks) decides to hide out in New York City until he can figure out what to do next. He lucks into a job with a major toy company run by kid-at-heart McMillan (Robert Loggia) and falls in love with fellow employee Susan (Elizabeth Perkins). But still a kid, he becomes desperate to go back to being scruffy teenager. Hanks brought his trademark wit and playfulness to the film, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else being able to play a giant keyboard with his feet as well as he does.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Steven Spielberg’s legendary WWII epic may be known primarily for its extremely intense and disturbing 24-minute long battle sequence on the beaches of Normandy, but at the films heart is a very grounded and relatable performance from Mr. Hanks. The film follows a group of soldiers led by Captain Miller (Hanks), who have been charged with the task of saving a young soldier fighting in France by the name of (you guessed it) Private Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in battle, and bring him home to his family. The film won five  Oscars in total but what was most notable about the ceremony was that it missed out on ‘Best Picture’ to Shakespeare In Love, which is still remembered as one of the biggest Oscar upsets in history. The film has proven to stand the test of time though, with Hank’s performance being one of the best of his career.

Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010)

After all of Pixar’s success, awards and rave reviews for their many delightful films, the standard set by incredible moving and nostalgic Toy Story series still sets the bar. Hanks voices the charming cowboy doll Woody, who is seen as a leader of sorts for a group of toys who come to life when no one is looking. But when their owner Andy get’s a new action figure for his birthday in the shape of Buzz Lightyear, he starts to lose his place as the ‘favourite toy’. It’s hard to imagine that Toy Story was so innovative in its field when it was released in 1995, but with every summer holiday now coming with a flurry of animated films, Hanks and co. paved the way for many childhoods of the future. As much as we’re assured otherwise, we still can’t completely trust that Action Men and Barbies don’t come to life when we leave the room…

Forest Gump (1994)

They say a career is never complete without a role that encourages millions of people around the world to impersonate nearly every line from the film in a ridiculous voice. If that’s true then Hanks has managed to complete that task with the title role in Robert Zemeckis’s film Forest Gump. The films follows Gump, a special child not quite like everyone else, from a young age right through to becoming a father, as he finds himself in many troubling and often enlightening times through 1960’s America, with the film acting as a strong critique of US History. Hanks gives a heart breaking performance that ended up winning him an Oscar, showing the importance of some much needed innocence in the world during a time of so much chaos and darkness.

Captain Philips (2013)

With Paul Greengrass’s high-seas thriller Captain Phillips, the film needed a hero that instead of being muscle-bound and born with superpowers, was above all else brave and relatable, and Hanks fits that bill perfectly. Based on the true story of the 2009 hijacking of U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates, the film not only works as an gripping and tense modern day action-thriller, but also successfully attempts to dissect deeper themes of poverty and globalisation. The film is worth watching for the truly heartbreaking final scene that is enough to make even the most stubborn Somali pirate break down into floods of tears.

Cast Away (2000)

This intense drama about one man’s struggles to survive after being shipwrecked on a desert island can be summed up in one word: WILSON! Hanks manages to keep our full attention in a film that features only him for 90% of the film, along with a brilliantly understated performance from his volley ball friend. Of all the films Hanks has done in his career this is probably the most intense of them all, showing incredible determination to save himself from the island and get back home. In Cast Away, Hanks made us laugh, cry and learn how to appreciate the modern day dentist, a magnificently rounded performance.

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON 12^TH SEPTEMBER AND ON BLU-RAY AND DVD FROM 19^TH SEPTEMBER, 2016

As summer is ending and the nights start to draw in, a rash of book adaptations are set to hit our silver screens. From childrens’ books to prize-winning plays there’s an adaptation to suit all tastes.  With so many to choose from, and maybe some you want to happen, here’s a few you should look out for.

A Monster Calls

Patrick Ness’s fantasy revolves around a boy whose mum has terminal cancer, and a monster who is a raconteur.  The film adaptation has a great cast, including Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver.  Ready to hit screens in October.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Ben Fountain’s hit novel about 19-year-old Billy Lynn who survives the Iraq war has been taken up by Ang Lee, who has shot the film in High Frame Rate 3D, and judging by the teaser trailer looks amazing. With Kristen Stewart, Steve Martin and Chris Tucker it could do well during Awards Season.

The Dark Tower

Sony Pictures has set up the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, a seven-book opus that could produce as many films.  The first regards a gunslinger (Idris Elba) and an evil sorcerer (Matthew McConaughey).

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

J.K. Rowling’s Potter spinoff stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, an eccentric who travels to New York with a briefcase full of magic. Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Jon Voigt, and Ron Perlman appear in the adaptation, with a script by Rowling herself.

The Circle

Dave Eggers’ 2013 sci-fi drama stars Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt, and Bill Paxton. What a cast!  Tech worker Mae Holland joins a powerful web company, which starts out great, but soon starts to fall apart. Sounds great.

There was a time when the video game mascot was unstoppable, with Mario and Luigi, Sonic The Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot and Spiro all helping launch individual console systems for Nintendo, Sega and the Sony PlayStation. However, as time marched on and audiences for console games started to move away from cutesy platformers and towards super soldiers with enormous guns, the opportunity for marketable, franchise-launching mascots noticeably started to shrink. Sure, the likes of Banjo & Kazooie would break through from time to time and Mario is still called upon to launch every new system Nintendo creates, but for many, the platform adventure was a throwback to a bygone age.

Step forward Ratchet the Lombax and Clank the sentient robot who, logically, appeared together in Ratchet & Clank on the PlayStation 2 way back in 2002.

This was a game that a) took advantage of the technological leaps and bounds the PS2 made and b) fused the very best of our memories of platform games with our apparent new-found thirst for REALLY BIG guns, creating easily the closest the new generation of gamers have got to a system mascot.

But with nearly 15 years of gaming history behind them and a brand new animated adventure, RATCHET & CLANK (coming to digital download on August 22^nd and DVD on August 29^th courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment), what better time to get newcomers up to speed with our heroic pair’s illustrious video game history?

Ratchet & Clank – PS2, 2002

The first game in the series introduces us to a planet-bound Lombax called Ratchet (think a biped fox with enormous ears and a talent for engineering) who longs for the stars. Fortunately for him, Clank crashes into his life and sets off a chain of events that see them teaming up to take on the evil Chairman Drek and discover that lifelong hero, Captain Quark, might not be the universe’s saviour everyone assumed him to be…

Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded – PS2, 2003

With Locked and Loaded the early promise of the first game nevertheless is delivered upon, with this second instalment introducing hoverboard racing, space battles and upgradeable weapons for the first time as Ratchet and Clank, flushed with the success of their first adventure, agree to attempt to retrieve ‘The Experiment’ for seemingly cuddly CEO, Mr. Abercrombie Fizzwidget

Ratchet & Clank 3:– PS2, 2004

As the weapons became increasingly inventive and downright ridiculous (in the best possible way), the third adventure from our plucky duo also introduced the series’ most identifiable antagonist after the helpful/hindering Captain Quark in the form of Doctor Nefarious. Hell bent on destroying the galaxy, Nefarious wasn’t so unreasonable as to prevent multiplayer options to be dropped into this iteration

Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked – PS2, 2005

With the fourth instalment of the series, Deadlocked moved away from the platforming/shooting action and concentrated instead on arena-based death matches and was relatively light on canonical story development. Never afraid to change, the franchise took this opportunity to attempt to broaden its gaming limitations, but still keeping the bonkers ideals of the previous titles.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters – PSP, 2007

Introducing the PSP to the story, Sony’s first shot at handheld gaming gave our plucky heroes the chance to make their inevitable bow on the portable system. This time around the focus was on the pair having a much-needed vacation ruined by a mysterious quest to rescue a girl called Luna whilst also discovering a race of inventors known as the Technomites.

Ratchet & Clank: Tools Of Destruction – PS3, 2007

A new system saw Ratchet and Clank receive a glossy, hi-def makeover to mark the dawn of the age of Blu-ray and the extra processing power of the PS3. This adventure didn’t tinker with gaming mechanics too much (so, more platforming, even more outlandish guns) but did introduce a new antagonist in the form of Emperor Tachyon who wanted to capture Ratchet and discover the secrets of the Lombax race. Clank gets a lot more to do here, too, encountering the mysterious Zoni, who assist him in complex, time-bending puzzles that break up the platforming action.

Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty – PS3, 2008

More a filler than a standalone game, Quest For Booty sees Ratchet in search of Clank who is kidnapped by the Zoni at the end of the previous game. Mistakenly believing that the evil Doctor Nefarious (him again) can repair Clank’s malfunctions, it’s down to Ratchet to save the day.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time – PS3, 2009

With Nefarious back as a full-blown threat, this entry into the series sees Clank attempt to repair The Great Clock while Ratchet continues to try and locate and rescue his friend. Oh, and save the galaxy along the way…

Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus – PS3, 2013

The final game in the initial series run, Into The Nexus sees the pair aboard a prison ship where they are given the task of delivering a dangerous prisoner to the Vartax Detention Centre. When said prisoner is rescued by her twin sister, with Ratchet’s friends paying the ultimate price in the process, he and Clank begin a chase through the galaxy in a quest for vengeance.

Ratchet & Clank – PS4 2016

Aaand full circle… Perfectly timed as the game of the film of the game (keep up), Ratchet and Clank’s first adventure on the superb PS4 sees their origin story retrofitted to the plot of the film you’ll soon be able to enjoy on digital platforms and DVD. Teaming up with the Galactic Rangers, Ratchet and pal Clank must put paid to Chairman Drek and Doctor Nefarious’s despotic plans for the universe, whilst also outing the cowardly Captain Quark for the fraud that he is.

Ratchet & Clank is available on digital platforms from August 22^nd and on DVD from August 29^th, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.