‘Harry Potter’ Actor Favorite To Play James Bond in Movie Reboot

A new name has been put forward to play James Bond, AKA 007, in the upcoming reboot.

The Search for the New James Bond

Recently, Deadline reported that the studio and the filmmakers behind the upcoming James Bond film reboot won’t begin their search for the next 007 until director Denis Villeneuve wraps production on Dune: Part Three sometime next year.

The report added that they’re looking for an “unknown” actor ideally in their late 20s/early 30s, which instantly ruled out favorites such as Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Austin Butler (Elvis), Theo James (Divergent), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (28 Years Later).

None of those actors were ever officially in talks to play the MI6 agent (as far as we know) — they were just favorites whose names have been thrown around by the media and by fans.

Related: Meet the New James Bond in the Upcoming ‘007’ Reboot

The New Frontrunner for James Bond

But now, according to Coral bookmakers (via London Evening Standard), another actor has had his hat thrown in the ring. Callum Turner, best known for playing Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films, is a “red hot favorite” to don the tux and pick up the PPK.

“We’ve been knocked over with support for Callum Turner in our next James Bond betting over the last 24 hours,” Coral’s John Hill said. “The British actor is now the red-hot favorite for the role.”

Although Turner has appeared in the Harry Potter spinoffs and is now starring opposite Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen in the supernatural romantic-comedy Eternity, he is still a relatively “unknown” actor and, as such, may fit the bill. However, he’s 35 years old, which puts him at the edge of that bracket the studio and the filmmakers are reportedly looking at.

Meanwhile, the upcoming third-person action-adventure video game “007 First Light” from developers Saber Interactive has already cast its James Bond with Patrick Gibson (Dexter: Original Sin) as a young version of the spy on a mission to acquire his Double-O status.

What Do We Know About the 007 Reboot?

The new James Bond film is being directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Dune: Part Two) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films, and Amy Pascal, who produced the most recent Spider-Man franchise, are also involved. Earlier this year, longtime stewards of the Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, handed full control over to Amazon.

As yet, no castings have been made and there’s no release date for the film.