David Oyelowo has not been a bookies’ frontrunner for the gig, but he has consistently been in the running.
Ladbrokes currently rate his odds at 66/1, only slightly behind the likes of Taron Egerton (50/1) and John Boyega (50/1).
And speaking on US TV show The View last week, he opened up about his name being linked to such an iconic gig.
He explained that the fact that himself and Idris Elba are being talked about as possibilities is a sign of how things are progressing in mainstream film-making, given that every previous iteration of James Bond has been white.
“Well you know what, me getting to play Javert in [Les Miserables], and people talking about me or Idris Elba or whoever else is a person of colour for this kind of role… I just think it’s indicative of the fact things are changing,” he said.
“Whether it is going to be me or whether or not I want to do that is beside the point.
“I just think it’s an amazing shift in the culture.”
He added: “10, 15 years ago, this would not be a conversation.”
Richard Madden is currently the frontrunner to replace Craig, with odds of 3/1.
Tom Hiddleston is close behind on 4/1, with Cillian Murphy, Elba and James Norton also towards the front of the pack.
Madden recently said: “It’s all just noise.
“By March [it’s not specified when this interview took place], there will be another British TV show with another young male actor, and then he’ll be the next James Bond for the following two months.”