The chances of Daniel Craig hanging on to do another James Bond film seem to grow slimmer by the day. Rumours have been swelling for months over who will take on the iconic part after him, with a shortlist of eight actors having reportedly been drawn.

• Who Is The New James Bond 007

Heading up the list is Idris Elba, the Luther actor having previously spoken candidly about the part, saying he is “too old” to be Bond - Elba is the oldest person on the list at 43.

Featuring alongside him is Michael Fassbender, 39, who will play the lead in the widely anticipated Assassin’s Creed film later this year, and has previously held the long-running role of Magneto in the X-Men series.

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Luke Evans, 37, also features on the list, the Welsh actor best known for his parts in the Fast & Furious series as well as The Hobbit. Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam, 36, is also said to be on the shortlist, along with Taylor Swift’s current partner Tom Hiddleston, 35, and Poldark’s Aidan Turner, 33.

Rounding off the eight are youngsters James Norton, 31, who skyrocketed to acclaim earlier this year in the BBC’s adaptation of War & Peace, and Billy Elliot actor Jamie Bell, 30. Bell’s last role was as The Thing in the failed reboot of Fantastic Four.

According to the report, both Bell and Norton do not feature on MGM’s official list but have been in talks with EON Productions over the role. The final decision will be made by the production companies head, Barbara Broccoli.

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An insider told The Sun: “To get anyone to take over from Daniel will be a tough job. There will be a lot of trepidation about a new Bond, but Idris’ talent and proven appeal gives executives a lot of heart.

“Idris may be a little older than the other candidates but he looks like he is still in his 30s. MGM are confident that they are in a pretty strong place with a raft of talent available.”

Current Bond, Craig, 49, is set to lead the 20-part television drama Purity, something producer David Nevins has said won’t affect Craig being able to return as 007.

The next James Bond movie won't hit screens until 2018 at the earliest.

Producer Barbara Broccoli is working on two other films first so she doesn't have time for the suave spy's next motion picture just yet, and she is said to be keen to use the time to try to tempt Daniel Craig into reprising his role as the titular character for the fifth time.

A source told The Sun newspaper: 'Barbara is not going to be rushed into a Bond and wants to work on two other film projects next year.

Who Is The New James Bond 007

'It will give her time to work out a script and try to convince Daniel to maybe return.'

Broccoli is currently shooting 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' alongside Jamie Bell.

The movie, which sees a romance spark between a young actor and a Hollywood leading lady, also stars Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters and Stephen Graham.

Several actors have been linked to the role of Bond, but Idris Elba has appeared to put himself out of the race by insisting he is 'too old' to play 007.

He said: 'I keep saying if it were to happen it would be the will of a nation because there hasn't been any talks between me and the studio about any of that. But everywhere I go people want that to happen, so.

'But if I'm really honest, I think I'm too old for that man, running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible.'

'Poldark' actor Aidan Turner is the current bookmakers favourite to land the part, while Jack Huston, James Norton, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy and Damian Lewis are all thought to be in contention.