Paramount's 10-Part Spy Thriller Shows James Bond The Actor It Could've Had

Fancasts of the next James Bond still tend to place 49-year-old Fassbender near the top of the list, even if he’s no longer under serious consideration for the part at Eon Productions and Amazon MGM Studios. However, there was a time when the actor was most definitely in the running, before Daniel Craig was given the nod for Casino Royale.

Over the past couple of years, Fassbender has gotten his own back on the Bond franchise for not selecting him instead, via exquisite performances in multiple elegant tales of espionage. The Agency was first among them, before Black Bag arrived on the big screen as one of the best movies of 2025.

The Agency Proves James Bond Missed Out On A Great Lead Actor

Even though The Agency effectively ruled Michael Fassbender out of the running to play James Bond, it also showed the movie franchise what it’s missing. As Brandon Colby, aka “Martian”, the actor is everything author and 007 creator Ian Fleming imagined his legendary MI6 agent to be.

Colby is calculating, controlled, and a mysterious figure for much of The Agency’s first season, who prefers to keep his cards close to his chest. Yet, he doesn’t always get his way, especially when romance is involved. There’s a more emotional and impulsive side to the CIA operative, too, which Fassbender plays to perfection.

Even more than his portrayal of George T. Woodhouse in Black Bag, the actor’s performance as “Martian” demonstrates that he would have been an ideal candidate to play the more brooding and vulnerable James Bond of Casino Royale, and Daniel Craig’s other franchise movies.

The problem is, when Fassbender auditioned to play Bond, Craig stood in his way. Nowadays, nobody in their right mind would argue that the franchise’s final casting decision at that stage was the wrong one, although with the benefit of hindsight it could be argued that Michael Fassbender could have brought a different dimension to the role.

The Chances Of Bond 26 Casting Michael Fassbender Are Remote

20 years later, it’s now too late for Fassbender to be considered a future 007. Indeed, most of the casting favorites for James Bond 26 have been ruled out already, because director Denis Villeneuve and the production team behind him are looking for someone younger to join His Majesty’s Secret Service.

It would take a truly extraordinary turn of events for an actor of Fassbender’s age to come back into the reckoning, as the next Bond should be in it for the long haul. It appears that his audition for the role prior to Casino Royale in the mid-2000s will always be a sliding doors moment in his acting career.

On the other hand, if he’d have got the part, then he wouldn’t be returning for a second season playing Brandon Colby on Paramount+ later this year, which is arguably a more interesting role than Daniel Craig’s 007 was at times. It’s fair to say that Michael Fassbender has become a better fictional secret agent by not playing James Bond.

Of course, The Agency will never be as beloved or iconic as the biggest spy franchise in screen history. But it’s still a brilliant watch, which makes apparent just what moviegoers are missing out on with Fassbender out of the picture at MI6.