Who will be the next James Bond? Probably not me, says Benedict Cumberbatch

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he won't be the next James Bond. Photo / Getty Images

Want to see Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch take on yet another British institution and play super spy James Bond?

If so, you're probably not going to get your wish anytime soon: the 40-year-old actor, who will next be seen in Marvel's superhero adventure Doctor Strange, has long denied any serious 007-aspirations.

"I think people are obsessed with other people being Bond at the moment, so the heat's off me," he recently told GQ (via the Daily Star).

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Doctor Strange in the upcoming Marvel movie.

But Cumberbatch has previously admitted that, while he'd make a pretty unconventional Bond, he would enjoy the chance to shake the franchise up a bit.

"I can wear a suit and I can fight. I can raise my eyebrow, but that's not what it takes to play Bond," he told the Guardian last year.

"They might want to go in very different directions, who knows? It would be fun though."

In the past few years, there's been a steady string of rumours about who could replace current Bond Daniel Craig, with a new hopeful claimed as the frontrunner almost every other week.

Some of the latest contenders named include Victoria actor Tom Hughes, who has allegedly impressed Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, and Marvel stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston.

Actor Daniel Craig as James Bond.

It was also suggested, in an unconfirmed report earlier this year, that Sony have offered Craig up to $150 million to return for two more films. The 48-year-old, who first played the spy in 2006's Casino Royale, is said to be reluctant about continuing with the role.

Doctor Strange, which also stars Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams, is released in the UK on October 25.