Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsThe next James Bond actor to follow Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig may have finally been revealed, according to reports.
Speculation about who will play the character after Daniel Craig’s explosive exit in No Time to Die (2021), the final film in his five-part series, has run rampant in recent months. Now, we may finally know who the new James Bond actor really is.
This news comes hot on the heels of a report from industry insider Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) that the search for the next 007 actor has reached its final stages and that the studio may have already found the actor.
“I hear they’re in the final round of casting for James Bond and might have already found their guy,” Richtman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) last week.
I hear they’re in the final round of casting for James Bond and might have already found their guy. pic.twitter.com/FLdUHQ3Dnz
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) August 23, 2026
Who’s the New James Bond?
The search has been ongoing for some time, with Nina Gold leading the hunt for a new actor to carry the saga forward. Amazon MGM Studios’ untitled Bond film is being directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has directed all three films in the Dune trilogy, with the third entry releasing later this year.
Now, reports claim that the studio has narrowed the search down to a select few, with some familiar names on the shortlist.
Last week, Page Six reported that screen tests for the role are expected to begin in early September, with the shortlist including five familiar names and one relatively unknown actor.
According to the outlet, Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Callum Turner (Eternity), Jacob Elordi (Wuthering Heights), Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), and Harris Dickinson (Where the Crawdads Sing) are on that list, along with the lesser known Jack Barton, who, according to insiders, is “the one.”
Related: Henry Cavill Now Top Choice for James Bond as Major 007 Casting Report Emerges
There are, however, conflicting reports.
Knight Edge Media also reported that only one actor from that list is still in consideration, while adding another frontrunner, writing: “We at Knight Edge Media have exclusively learned that Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts, Neuromancer) and Jack O’Connell (Sinners, 28 Years Later) are two of the three actors still in the running for the role.”
Turner has been named numerous times over the past few months. More recently, Lowden emerged as a real contender after being mentioned by a British TV celebrity. But if the report from Knight Edge Media is to be believed, the Calibre (2018) star is no longer in the running.
As for the third actor on that even shorter list, the report goes on to say:
“We have also learned there is a third dark-horse candidate who is currently unknown, and we couldn’t verify who it would be from the previous shortlist. The studio did narrow it down to the final three actors as of last week. A small heads up: Jack Barton is the youngest and least known of the entire list and could have an edge as the unknown dark horse, but that’s pure speculation.”
So, could Jack Barton be the new James Bond? Interestingly, the 31-year-old English actor appeared in SAS: Rogue Heroes, which was created by Steven Knight, who’s penning the script for the new Bond film. Barton has also appeared in The Letter for the King, Grantchester, and Poor Things.
When Will We Find Out Who the New Bond Is?
Recently, Amy Pascal, a producer on the new Bond film alongside David Heyman (the Harry Potter films), told Deadline that we may learn who the new 007 is by the end of this year.
“I would say the end of the year is a good bet. We are being really, really methodical,” she said, adding that the new iteration of Bond has “got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different.”
Whether or not any of the actors named will become the new James Bond remains to be seen. While Nina Gold is leading the search for the new 007, longtime Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams, who cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, told The Independent in June that she doesn’t want to see any of the rumored stars become the new Bond.
“It is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma. I don’t want to see any of [the rumored stars] as Bond because we now know so much about them,” she said, explaining, “We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. 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 that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”
There’s no release date for the untitled Bond reboot.
Who do you think the next James Bond will be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
