As the world prepares for “Skyfall,” the next installment of the hit James Bond film series, 007 himself thinks that Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard could play James Bond.

“Well I don’t think I could keep up any more so Bond will do but Steven Gerrard would make a good Bond,” Mr. Craig said when asked whether he’d rather be a Liverpool captain or James Bond. “He is a good leader so you know what, seriously, who knows?”

Given that Mr. Gerrard has played for Liverpool since 1997, maybe he’ll retire from football and take over the James Bond film series when Mr. Craig passes the martini glass to the next 007.

Of course, the most likely actor to take the reigns from Mr. Craig at this point in time is English actor Idris Elba, according to the newest Bond girl, Naomie Harris.

“I did a film with Idris and he said that he met Barbara Broccoli and that it does seem like there is a possibility in the future that there could very well be a black James Bond,” Ms. Harris said during an interview with The Huffington Post.

This is not the first time that the possibility of a black actor playing 007 has made headlines. In 2008, Mr. Craig told the Agi news agency that a black 007 was a real possibility despite Ian Fleming’s racial prejudices.

“I think the role could easily be played by a black actor because the character created by Ian Fleming in the ’50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated,” he said. “After Barack Obama’s victory I think we might have reached the moment for a colored 007.”

Hit Fix reports that Mr. Craig will appear as 007 in at least two more James Bond films after “Skyfall.” While the news puts to rest the immediate need to know who will eventually replace Mr. Craig as 007, it does raise the question: Who is the best Bond of all time?

In a recent article from The Guardian, Boyd Hilton and Charlie Higson debate whether Mr. Craig has become the quintessential 007. Mr. Hilton, who is TV and reviews editor of Heat magazine, thinks he has.

“He may not look much like Ian Fleming’s conception of Bond but through the sheer unrelenting single-minded brilliance of his acting, he has now usurped Connery,” Mr. Hilton says.

Mr. Higson, who is the star of Fast Show and author of the Young James Bond books, doesn’t think Mr. Craig has “eclipsed” the original 007, Sean Connery. While Mr. Higson thinks that the newest James Bond is a great actor, he believes that Mr. Connery was the best representation of the “ultimate fantasy alpha male.”

“He lives in hotels, eats in restaurants, sleeps with whoever he likes and is allowed to kill people. That’s the type of fantasy figure that Connery embodied so effortlessly,” Mr. Higson argues.

Whether or not Mr. Craig is the best Bond ever, he has two more movies in which to prove his worth. After he finishes his fifth film, Hot Fix notes, he’ll have the chance to set the record as the 007 actor with the most films to his name. Roger Moore holds the record with 7 films.