Having recently watched Tomorrow Never Dies, I was positive that some British television actors were on board the British ships. I was amazed to discover, that not only was a British cast member on board a ship - but in fact he was rumoured to be considered to be James Bond.
The thing is, too often in the James Bond productions, the actors know the 'big guns' - in Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli - before they take on the role. Take Timothy Dalton, originally considered way back in 1969, and then again, when Roger Moore was rumoured to leave following For Your Eyes Only. Then there is Pierce Brosnan - actually hired to be James Bond in 1987, but his contractual obligations on the TV-series Remington Steel, held him back! But alas, in both cases, they eventually became Bond in '87 and '95 respectively.
It would make alot of sense that, following Daniel Craig's three-film contract, they cast Gerard Butler, effectively a 'veteran' of the Bond franchise. He is currently 41 years old and, that might seem a little too old but bear in mind that Roger Moore was 46 in Live and Let Die and went on to make more James Bond films than any other actor ...
that is, effectively, a guilty pleasure.