A Licence To Thrill. Is Gillian Anderson The Next James Bond?

This could be a case for Mulder and...Bond? With Daniel Craig ditching a £68 million paycheque to return to MGM's James Bond series, the floodgates are open on who will be next to pick up a Walther PPK for 007's 25th outing. The likes of Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are obviously topping the list, but there is is someone else making waves - the name's Anderson, Gillian Anderson!

After Craig said he'd "rather break this glass and slash my wrists", it was clear that we should start looking for someone to fill the 'Double O' shoes. The Twitterverse responded to the hype, with the #NextBond trending. Everyone from Michael Fassbender, to former London mayor Boris Johnson, are in the running, but in a strange twist, fans are also shipping the idea of a female 007. Lena Headey, Emily Blunt and Jennifer Lawrence all make great suggestions, but Anderson is the only actress who has responded to the idea...and we couldn't be happier!

Whereas most actors simply shrug off any rumours, or in the case of Hiddleston, awkwardly lie, the 47-year-old X-Files actress actually took to social media to back herself as the new Daniel Craig. In her usual refined response, Anderson thanked fans with a tweet:

The names Bond, Jane Bond.

After years of strange goings on in The X-Files, as well as psychological torture from NBC's Hannibal, we know that Anderson can not only pull off a pant-suit, but she is one woman who can remain shaken but not stirred.

The campaign is one that mirrors the likes of Doctor Who, when back in 2007, Jennifer Saunders was famously tipped to gender-swap the mantle of Time Lord from its stereotypical male casting. Ian Fleming's James Bond has undergone many changes over the year and this wouldn't be the first time one of his characters has changed sex. We already saw Judi Dench take over from Robert Brown as Bond's superior, 'M', but with a role that is infamously a cigar smoking, womaniser, is a gender-swap a step too far? Whilst it is all fun and games, the idea of a female Bond appears to just be a pipe dream (for now), but until the lead is found, the internet will continue to buzz with rumours.

As Bookies have now suspended all bets of Tom Hiddleston being cast as Craig's successor, now is the time to strike! If you have a spare dollar or two, why not back Anderson as the dark horse? You heard it hear first!