The search for the next James Bond may finally be nearing its end: according to reports, a very select group of actors will screen-test to become the next British agent 007 this weekend.
According to the Hollywood Reporter and Variety, citing several sources, a group of actors reportedly including Callum Turner and Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden, will appear in front of cameras as the secret agent this weekend in London.
The tests supposedly include three elements: stunts, camera presence and dialogue. Reports vary that between three and five actors are finalists for the role, which was vacated by Daniel Craig after 2021’s No Time to Die. Despite speculation to the contrary, Sinners’ Jack O’Connell and Wuthering Heights star Jacob Elordi are not testing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Dune film-maker Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next installment of the Bond franchise for Amazon MGM studios, which bought the series rights as part of an $8.45bn (£6.9bn) deal in 2022. The Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight will pen the script.
The company, which paid more than $1bn last year to wrest “creative control” from the Broccoli family, has neither confirmed nor denied the reports, and referred the Hollywood Reporter to its earlier statement: “The search for the next James Bond is under way. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
In April of this year, Amazon film executives urged fans to exercise patience in waiting for the casting announcement, citing an abundance of caution in making the closely watched decision. “I know you’re all wondering when we’re going to announce who’s playing James Bond,” said Courtenay Valenti, the company’s head of film. “Don’t get too excited. Please know that we’re taking the time to do this with care and deep respect. It is the dream of a lifetime for all of us to bring audiences this next chapter, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”
Villeneuve, a “diehard Bond fan”, has said the opportunity to add to the beloved franchise is what drew him away from the Dune franchise that has consumed the better part of a decade of his life.
“I said, ‘Maybe it’s a good idea to go back to this project, not out of nostalgia, not because I miss it, but the opposite – I’m tired of it,’” he told Empire of Dune: Messiah, which will premiere this December. “I want to make sure that I will be severe with the material. That I will not be complacent,” he said. “I thought, ‘When it’s done, I need a very powerful rocket to pull me away from Arrakis.’ When I was asked to do the next Bond, I said: ‘OK, this is what I need.’”
It’s been more than 20 years since the last full screen test for Bond; future Superman Henry Cavill was reported to be a finalist, but the role eventually went to Craig, who first appeared in 2006’s Casino Royale.
Speculation over the new Bond has intensified in the months since Villeneuve was revealed as director in 2025. The film is still reportedly positioned for a 2028 release.
