Sean Bean thinks Richard Madden would be perfect as next Bond

Sean Bean is batting for his "Game of Thrones" co-star Richard Madden as next in line to play James Bond.

Bean, who played Ed Stark, father to Madden's Rob in the hit HBO series, said the young actor is fit to play the iconic role, reported Digital Spy.

"Richard Madden's got everything required to play the role. He's strong, he's masculine and he's also got a soft underbelly. He's vulnerable. And he's good looking, and Scottish. I always sensed he was a very fine actor," Bean said.

"He had a lot of presence. You could see he had a lot of stuff going for him. But they were all very, very good," he added.

Apart from Madden, names like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston have been thrown in the mix to essay the new Bond after Daniel Craig confirmed "No Time to Die" will be his last appearance as Agent 007.

Commenting on the speculation last year, the "Bodyguard" star said the rumours are "just noise".

Elba, too, dismissed the reports as rumours.