Amazon Shortlists Three Actors to Play the New James Bond

Amazon has officially chosen Denis Villeneuve to direct the next James Bond movie, the 26th in the series. This news means the project will pick up speed soon, but don’t expect the film any earlier than 2028.

According to insiders, a release before then would be too difficult because of how big the movie is planned to be. Amazon has not commented on the story.

Villeneuve, a French-Canadian director known for his work on films like Dune, was picked over four other European directors: Edward Berger, Edgar Wright, Paul King, and Jonathan Nolan. Now that they have a director, Amazon will quickly start looking for a writer and then an actor to take on the famous role of Agent 007.

The studio and producers are focused on casting a young British actor under 30 years old. The top three names being talked about are Jacob Elordi, Tom Holland, and Harris Dickinson as per Variety.

Elordi is actually Australian, but Amazon isn’t worried about that, after all, George Lazenby, also Australian, played Bond before. Other actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill have been mentioned, but they’re considered too old for the role. Idris Elba, a longtime fan favorite, is also unlikely to be cast as he’s in his fifties and hasn’t shown interest. So far, no meetings with any actors have happened.

Before Villeneuve was chosen, Alfonso Cuarón was a strong candidate to direct. Bond producer David Heyman pushed hard for Cuarón, since they had worked together on a Harry Potter film.

However, Cuarón decided to focus on other projects, including Jane, starring Charlize Theron. That film is also moving quickly at Amazon, with a script being written by Jack Thorne, known for the Enola Holmes trilogy. It’s not clear if Cuarón will direct or just produce Jane.

Amazon also showed interest in Christopher Nolan, the brother of Jonathan Nolan, who was in the running to direct Bond. Nolan’s involvement would have been a big change since the Broccoli family, who have controlled Bond for decades, usually kept strict creative control and final cut rights.

However, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson stepped back from their roles earlier this year, keeping only a financial stake. Unfortunately, Nolan is busy with his new project The Odyssey, starring Tom Holland, so he won’t be available for Bond anytime soon.

Villeneuve himself has a busy schedule, as he plans to film Dune: Messiah later this year, aiming for a release in December 2026. His deal with Amazon for Bond is a one-time arrangement, so he is not committed to directing any sequels and won’t have final cut power. The last director to make two Bond films in a row was Sam Mendes, with Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre in 2015.

Amazon also has a short list of writers ready to shape the next Bond story. One popular idea is that Jonathan Nolan might write the script, as his take on the franchise was well-liked at Amazon. However, sources say he is not available to work on the screenplay right now.

This new era for James Bond under Amazon is just starting, and with Villeneuve on board, fans have a lot to look forward to, but they will need to be patient until 2028 for the next adventure of 007.

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