After years of speculation about who would be the next to don the legendary suit of 007, the end of this game is fast approaching. Producer Amy Pascal called it a “good bet” earlier this year when asked if fans would learn the identity of the next James Bond before the year ended, and momentum has seemed to pick up since then, with the next round of auditions having taken place this month. The decision has, understandably, taken its time, given how iconic the character is and how this one move could make or break the future of a franchise long defined by the man with the Walther PPK. After all, the next actor’s mission will be to carry Bond forward for the next “three, four, or more pictures,” according to casting director Nina Gold.
Now, Amazon has taken another step closer to naming its next 007. Initially reported by Page Six Hollywood, the shortlist of actors in the running to play Bond in Denis Villeneuve‘s next installment of the globe-trotting spy franchise has been revealed. The search is finally down to just six names — Jack Barton, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson. It’s the most concrete indication yet that the naming of Daniel Craig‘s successor is close at hand. Many of these names are among the much-rumored contenders, though Barton and Mescal are relative surprises considering how heavily the others have been perceived as strong fits.
With the field narrowed, screen testing is reportedly set to begin in early September. Ultimately, the final call among these six will fall to Villeneuve, Pascal, Gold, fellow producer David Heyman, and screenwriter Steven Knight, but each star fits the studio’s desire for a younger actor who can carry the torch much like Craig did across 15 years as Bond. Shockingly, while there is no shortage of big names, insiders believe that the current odds-on favorite is actually the 31-year-old Barton. He’s not a completely unknown quantity, appearing in a small role in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Poor Things, enjoying television turns in Knight‘s Rogue Heroes series and Heartstopper, and even holding a prominent voice-acting role in the Shadows of the Erdtree DLC of FromSoftware‘s megahit game Elden Ring, but his resume isn’t as robust as the stars around him. The report calls him “The One” who emerged from Gold‘s search for more under-the-radar actors capable of stepping up in the glitzy role of a lifetime. Needless to say, he’ll now be on everybody’s radar.
Has the Next James Bond Already Been Found?
The timing and insights of the short list are notable considering they come a day after a few reports circulated that Amazon had already found their guy. Jeff Sneider even indicated that it wasn’t one of the long-expected frontrunners. That lines up well with the new indications that Barton is in the catbird seat for Bond, though nobody will know for certain the job is his until the name is officially announced. It also fits reporting from about a year back about the approach to casting Villeneuve‘s film. While the big stars kept surfacing as candidates, the search was said to be focused on “fresh faces” who could embody that blunt lethality of Bond and fit with Knight‘s script, said to be inspired by Ian Fleming‘s earlier novels.
A relatively unknown 007 certainly wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, something that former longtime casting director Debbie McWilliams has been adamant about ever since rumors began swirling about the names involved. Back in June, the franchise veteran vehemently rejected the likes of the Oscar-nominated Elordi and BAFTA-nominated Dickinson, arguing that the next actor to lead the series should be a bit of a mystery like the man they play, saying:
“We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost your audience. Timothy [Dalton] and Pierce [Brosnan] weren’t particularly well known. Daniel [Craig] had a career in independent films and a fairly romantic life beforehand, but he wasn’t a household name, and that helps enormously. I want to see somebody who is completely out of the blue.”
There is no exact release date for Villeneuve‘s Bond movie, but it’s expected to hit theaters by 2028.
via Collider