Five James Bond Choices You Haven’t Thought Of

James Bond is iconic, and there’s loads of conversation going on about who can play him. Daniel Craig is done, but of course they’ll be making another movie sooner rather than later. With such a huge character up for grabs again, it’s exciting to see who will fill the shoes of the dapper 007. There are obvious choices like Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston—all those Brits who don’t have to really work on an accent. But that’s too easy! How about we stretch a little bit and see if there are some other choices that might make for interesting picks. I have five of them, and some are a little more out there than others, but I think they’re all pretty good. Without further ado, here are some potential James Bond picks that you haven’t thought of.

1. Park Seo Joon

This is easily my top pick. I love Park Seo Joon. The Korean actor has done comedy, drama, and he’s super attractive. I mean, really really attractive. As in he has a shirtless scene and I can’t stop myself from blushing. He can pull of a suit and tie like no one’s business. He can deliver lines with a stoic face, a sly smile. He’s also done action scenes in some previous work, like the historical drama Hwarang. Basically, he’s got the looks and the acting chops to do it. Just take a look at his recent show What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? and you’ll see what I mean. He carries himself effortlessly and you can feel his presence when he comes on screen. He can also speak English and Spanish on top of his native Korean. Tell me this man doesn’t have it all?

2. Jeff Goldblum

Alright, hear me out. What if James Bond were a little quirky? Jeff Goldblum is a wonderful meme of a man and it’s safe to say we can’t get enough of him. He’s so charming on interviews. You can watch him and he genuinely interacts with every person he meets. He loves to converse with others and can beautifully translate that to the intimacy required of a successful Bond. He looks great in a suit, and of course glasses. Maybe Jeff can’t run around as much as an action-y bond would require, but he could bring a bit of old-fashioned fun to the character, sneaking around with a pistol and what not. Jeff would be a fun pick, and he would captivate the viewer as he does in every role he plays.

3. Danai Gurira

Anyone who knows me shouldn’t be surprised I’m suggesting a female Bond. Obviously the character’s name is James, but you could easily twist that around in a gender-bent version. It’s been done in similar veins, such as Zendaya’s character in the recent Spiderman being called MJ as her initials, and not having Mary Jane as her real name. So let’s get to Danai Gurira. This woman is powerful. She can do action, she can emote beautifully with her face. I absolutely adore her. Danai Gurira’s acting chops aren’t a question here, it’s the obvious gender thing. However, Danai has rocked both dresses and suits, elegant and down and dirty, and she looks fantastic no matter what. Couple that with her incredible acting ability and you have a winning combination. She could do touching scenes, funny scenes, and sexy scenes. This girl has it all, seriously look at anything she’s ever acted in/written/produced.

4. Shah Rukh Khan

This might be the actor on this list I know the least about, but he can entertain. He’s very personable and is a huge star from India. Like Danai Gurira, he’s done things both in front of and behind a camera, and so has much talent and experience that would go a long way. He’s the King of Bollywood and has a huge following that would easily put butts in seats worldwide. I’ve personally only seen him in the Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham that a friend introduced me to my freshman year. I was immediately taken with this guy. He’s got personality and knows how to interact with the ladies. I think he could really surprise people. I don’t know many people who’ve heard of him in America, but they definitely should, and a turn as James Bond would be a great way to do that. He’s been around awhile, so it’s about time.

5. Michelle Yeoh

So this is my last pick. And I’m going for another female. Michelle Yeoh is absolutely incredible. I love her. I love her so much and she’s so damn talented. She’s talented even in stupid movies like the third Mummy movie. Recently, you’ve probably seen her as Eleanor Young, Nick’s mother in Crazy Rich Asians. Take one look at her in that and you’ll see how well she pulls off a classy and sophisticated look. She can be intimidating yet warm, and both draw the room to look at her yet fade into the background when Bond needs to be sneaky. Regarding action scenes, she’s been a bit of an action star in a couple of films, just look at Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She can fight with the best of them. Yeoh is so amazing, and seeing her break even more into mainstream cinema on such a meteoric level is exactly what she deserves.

So there’s my list. It’s a little out there, but I could clearly see all of them in the role. James Bond is such an amazing character and we’ve seen him done to death in a similar fashion every time. Adding a little variety might be a great way to make Bond an interesting character again and explore different faces of his personality. These actors are all a little different from each other and from the Bonds that came before them. With all the existing Bond movies, why not have a fresh face to an iconic character?