Not only was he logistically a pretty strong contender at 16/1, but he was also a dream choice for the role in the eyes of many of the franchise's fans. Alas, all those hopes are now crushed, as the actor has now completely ruled himself out of the running.

"Bond! Is this rumour still going round? You would have thought I was out of the bookies by now," Fassbender told GQ when asked whether he fancied the role. "To be honest, no. As an acting role, I think Daniel has done such a cracking job in this age group."

Almost as if he could hear the silent exasperations of Bond fans everywhere, Fassbender did offer up in return a pretty solid concept for where the franchise should go next.

"What about we start the film back in Sandhurst, army training, rather than on a yacht, or he's in the Middle East on an op and gets thrown in the brig for insubordination. He's going to get court-martialed," he elaborated. "The film could start off in Sandhurst and how he became a 'double 0'. M could walk in and say to him, 'Bond, there's a 00 project but it's going to be totally off the book, black ops, and you've got to go into prison undetected.'"

When asked whether he'd thought about this a lot, he responded: "I just love Bond. Doesn't everyone? I grew up with him. It's always a fun conversation to have. But Bond should be someone in their early twenties."

The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Show all 9 1 /9 The eight contenders to be the next James Bond The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Jamie Dornan, 36 File photo dated 12/02/17 of Fifty Shades Of Grey star Jamie Dornan who has said the implications of Brexit keep him awake at night. PA The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Aiden Turner, 35 The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Idris Elba, 45 NEW YORK, NY - JULY 18: Idris Elba attends the "Star Trek Beyond" New York Premiere at Crosby Street Hotel on July 18, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images) Getty The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Michael Fassbender, 41 Getty The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Luke Evans, 39 Luke Evans Getty The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Jamie Bell, 32 Jamie Bell Getty The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Charlie Hunnam, 38 Getty The eight contenders to be the next James Bond Tom Hiddleston, 37 The eight contenders to be the next James Bond James Norton, 32 BBC

The actor was then offered the rather unusual suggestion of Ryan Gosling; which he replied to with, "Sure, why not? I always thought Bond should be British, but let's get an American in. Or maybe someone like Jack O'Connell would be good? Or even better, how about Jane Bond? A woman. One thing is for sure, it won't be anyone on the bookies' lists. It never is."