Amazon MGM Studios is in the final stretch of finding the right actor to ask for his martini “shaken, not stirred” in Denis Villeneuve‘s James Bond reboot.
According to Deadline, the race is reportedly down to four actors, three of whom we know: Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, and Josh O’Connor. The report notes that at least four test offers have been given out, so there could be more actors testing, but it won’t be Jack O’Connell or Jacob Elordi, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Tests were originally planned for earlier in October, but were pushed back due to schedule conflicts, so that all the candidates could screen test at the same time. The tests could begin as early as Friday and are expected to run through next week.
Who Is Still in the Running?
Lowden is a Scottish actor best known for his Emmy-nominated performance as River Cartwright in the Apple TV crime series Slow Horses. His film credits include Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots, and Fighting with My Family.
Turner is a British actor who rose to prominence playing Theseus Scamander in the Wizarding World films Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. He has since starred in The Boys in the Boat, Masters of the Air, Eternity, and most recently One Night Only.
O’Connor is an English actor whose breakthrough came when he played the lead role of a gay sheep farmer in Francis Lee’s romantic drama God’s Own Country. He gained further recognition for his portrayal of Charles, Prince of Wales, in Netflix’s The Crown. His notable film credits include Challengers, The Mastermind, Wake Up Dead Man, and most recently Disclosure Day.
Villeneuve is attached to direct Bond 26. It will be his next feature after Dune: Part Three. Steven Knight, the creator, executive producer, and writer of Peaky Blinders, is penning the screenplay.
While details remain sparse for Bond 26, sources close to the production have stated that Amazon and Villeneuve’s ideal candidate to succeed Daniel Craig in the role of 007 will be “an unknown” actor in his late twenties or early thirties. The team reportedly wants to find an actor who closely matches the description of James Bond from Ian Fleming’s books, where he is described as a blunt instrument, lethal but extremely dull and uninteresting, and over six feet tall.
Bond 26 does not yet have a release date.
What do you think of the three actors above? Of them, who would you like to see as the next 007?
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