Two of the top candidates to lead the James Bond franchise appeared in the same early 2000s action movie series based on a video game, and one of them eventually landed the coveted role. With Denis Villeneuve confirmed as the director for Bond 26, attention now turns towards the question of who should play 007 next.

Looking at how Bond was cast in the past reveals that some action movie experience is a positive, although not a necessity. As Amazon takes creative control of the franchise, many popular candidates are already action stars to some degree. Before Casino Royale, the Bond producers could compare two of their top picks in the same franchise.

Daniel Craig Has A Role In 2001’s Tomb Raider Movie

It can be easy to forget that Daniel Craig appears in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider alongside Angelina Jolie. It isn’t one of Craig’s best movies, and the video game adaptation is mainly remembered as a platform for Jolie. Craig plays Alex West, a treasure-hunting ᴀssociate of Lara’s who teams up with the villain.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider received a string of negative reviews upon release, and it holds a 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn’t surprising for a video game adaptation from over two decades ago. It has taken a long time for video game movies to gradually increase in quality, with the most recent Tomb Raider from 2018 faring much better.

Gerard Butler Is In The Tomb Raider Sequel

The Tomb Raider franchise continued two years later with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life. Craig didn’t return to reprise his role, but another James Bond contender, Gerard Butler, joined the franchise. He plays Terry Sheridan, both a love interest and a potential threat to Lara.

The Cradle of Life wasn’t too popular with critics, registering a 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it underwhelmed commercially. This was Jolie’s last outing as the iconic explorer, although Alicia Vikander later starred in a 2018 reboot. A live-action Tomb Raider show has been in the works at Amazon for years, but we haven’t had many updates on it.

Daniel Craig & Gerard Butler Were Up For 007 But Only Craig Got The Part

James Bond fans might know that Gerard Butler has a minor role in Tomorrow Never Dies as a Royal Navy crewman on a British warship, but he was also one of the names in the conversation to replace Pierce Brosnan. The producers probably made the wise choice by opting for Craig, as his 007 track record speaks for itself.

Butler has claimed that he wouldn’t be interested in playing Bond, since it might affect how audiences see him in other roles. (via Digital Spy) Craig doesn’t seem to have this problem, and he’s already putting together an impressive career after the James Bond franchise, with roles in Queer, the Knives Out franchise, and Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movies.

Source: Digital Spy