James Bond is more than a character. He’s a cinematic icon. Since Sean Connery first introduced audiences to Ian Fleming’s British superspy in 1962’s Dr. No, the role has become one of the most coveted assignments in Hollywood. George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have each put their own spin on 007, turning Bond into a flexible screen icon who can be suave, funny, ruthless, vulnerable, or some combination of all four.
Now, after Craig’s final mission in 2021’s No Time to Die, the franchise is searching for its next Bond.
The next James Bond film, commonly referred to as Bond 26, will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, with Nina Gold serving as casting director. Amazon has not announced who will inherit the license to kill, but a new report from Page Six claims the studio has assembled a shortlist — and it includes several of the most in-demand actors working today.
Page Six reports that screen tests for the role are expected to begin in early September. The reported shortlist includes one relatively unknown actor and five more established names.
Meet the actors in the running to be the next Bond
Jack Barton is reportedly the surprise favorite. Barton has appeared in Netflix’s Heartstopper and Steven Knight’s SAS: Rogue Heroes, where he played real-life SAS soldier John Tonkin. He also had a minor role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things as Fop 1.
That may not sound like the résumé of a future James Bond, but Barton’s relative anonymity could be exactly what the franchise is looking for. He attended the Oxford School of Drama, and his limited public profile fits with what longtime Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has said about the role: that 007 should remain an enigma, played by someone audiences do not already know too well.
The other reported contenders are more familiar. Jack Lowden currently stars as River Cartwright in Apple TV Plus’ spy thriller Slow Horses, while Callum Turner recently appeared in the World War II miniseries Masters of the Air. Turner is also set to play John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ upcoming series of Beatles films.
Jacob Elordi has been one of the most frequently rumored choices for the role, and his recent projects have only kept the speculation alive. After breaking out with Netflix’s The Kissing Booth, Elordi moved into more dramatic work with Euphoria, Priscilla and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. He also stars as Heathcliff in the upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights and leads The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic drama that has received a divided critical response.
Paul Mescal has built his reputation on emotionally intense performances, beginning with his breakout role as Connell Waldron in the miniseries Normal People. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Aftersun, then took on a much larger action role as Lucius in Gladiator II. Mescal also stars as William Shakespeare in Hamnet, a performance that has further strengthened his standing as one of his generation’s most acclaimed actors. He is set to play Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles biopic.
Harris Dickinson rounds out the reported shortlist. Dickinson has appeared in Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw, Where the Crawdads Sing and Babygirl, and played Prince Philip in the series A Murder at the End of the World. His résumé is perhaps less Bond-coded than Elordi’s or Lowden’s, but he has shown a similarly broad range across prestige dramas, thrillers and larger studio productions.
Amazon has not confirmed any of the reported contenders. The studio has said only that its search for the next James Bond is underway, promising to share more news “as soon as the time is right.”
