The Next James Bond Is Down to 4 Actors, and Screen Tests Start This Week
The search for Daniel Craig’s successor has been one of the longest-running guessing games in Hollywood, fuelled by betting markets, tabloid shortlists and a steady drip of names that never quite stuck. Amazon MGM Studios has kept its process deliberately opaque since confirming in May that casting was underway. The next James Bond casting is now entering its final and most consequential stage.
The timeline has been methodical. Casting director Nina Gold was brought in to oversee the search in the spring, with roughly 2 months of meetings before the first round of auditions took place in August.
The field has since narrowed sharply. Deadline reports that at least 4 test offers have gone out, with insiders naming Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O’Connor as 3 of the actors expected to screen test, beginning as early as Friday, October 23 and running through the following week.
Deadline stopped short of confirming participation, and the identity of the fourth tester has not been reported. Speculation has pointed toward Jacob Elordi, though earlier reporting had suggested he was no longer in contention.
Other outlets have offered partial corroboration. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned only Lowden and Turner, while Variety confirmed the timing and indicated both actors appear to be in the mix.
Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O’Connor are 3/4 finalists to become the next James Bond Final screen tests happen this week (via: Deadline) https://t.co/lLM63YbhyJ
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) October 22, 2026
The tests were originally scheduled for earlier in October. Scheduling conflicts among the finalists pushed them to the end of the month so the group could test within the same window.
Lowden has carried momentum the longest. In August, Richard Osman said the Scottish actor was being strongly considered, and his ‘Slow Horses’ co-star Gary Oldman publicly endorsed him weeks later. If cast, he would become only the second Scot to play the role after Sean Connery.
Turner has been a tabloid fixture for years, known for ‘Masters of the Air’ and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films. O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in ‘The Crown’ and starred in ‘Challengers’, is arguably the most unexpected inclusion.
The shortlist has shifted considerably. A Page Six report in late August named 6 contenders including Jack Barton, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson, with Jack O’Connell also mentioned at various points.
The call rests with a tight group. Denis Villeneuve directs, alongside producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, with Gold running the audition process and Steven Knight writing the script.
Villeneuve’s involvement is finite by design. He has a one-off deal, plans to direct a single Bond film before moving on, and does not have final cut, with the project following ‘Dune: Part Three’. Notably, the filmmakers developed the story before auditioning for the lead, an inversion of the usual order that suggests a clear vision for the character already exists.
No official timetable has been set. Deadline reports there is no timeline for a final decision, though most expect an announcement before the end of the year, which matches Pascal’s earlier comment that year-end casting news was a good bet. Amazon MGM has declined to comment throughout, maintaining the position it took in May when it confirmed the search without addressing individual names.
Not everyone thinks the familiar faces are right. Retired casting director Debbie McWilliams, who helped cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Craig, told The Independent that it is absolutely essential Bond retains total enigma, questioning whether already-famous contenders can deliver that.
Who would you most like to see become the next James Bond?
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