Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsThe next James Bond film from Amazon MGM Studios has drawn significant attention in recent weeks, with speculation around who will earn the iconic 007 designation reaching fever pitch.
The untitled project, which will be the 26th official James Bond film, is being directed by Denis Villeneuve (the Dune films), written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), and produced by Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter films).
Related: Amazon MGM’s Official James Bond Casting: 7 Things We Know About the New Actor
Who Is the New James Bond?
While Amazon has yet to announce the next Bond actor, Amy Pascal recently told Deadline that “the end of the year is a good bet” for finding out who it is.
Names such as Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Jack Barton (Heartstopper), and Jack O’Connell (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) continue to emerge as top contenders, according to reports.
The film, which remains untitled, will mark a new era for James Bond, with the new actor effectively replacing Daniel Craig following his five-film tenure, which included Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).
Meanwhile, there are several other James Bond projects in development, some of which have already confirmed their casts.
New James Bond Actor Confirmed
Among those projects is the Young Bond: SilverFin, a new audio drama production based on Charlie Higson’s novel SilverFin (2005).
Earlier this year, Big Finish Productions announced Isaac Rouse (The Crown Season 6) as the voice of a teenage Bond, alongside Charlotte McBurney as Wilder Lawless.
More recently, there were several new additions to the roster. Miriam Margolyes, known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, was cast as Cleek MacSawney, with Harry Marcus (Poldark) as Bond’s friend Red Kelly, Christopher Nathan (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) as Eton bully George Hellebore, and Higson himself as Bond’s mentor Michael Merriot.
Now, Big Finish has confirmed several more cast members: William Hope (Lord Hellebore), Paterson Joseph (Dr Perseus Friend), Tim McInnerny (Uncle Max), Miranda Raison (Aunt Charmian), Timothy Bentinck (Sergeant White), Lucy Fleming (Madame Ouspenskaya), Harry Marcus (Red Kelly), Christopher Nathan (George Hellebore), and Penelope Rawlins (Alfie Kelly).
Charlie Higson’s 2005 book Young Bond: SilverFin was followed by the sequels Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, and By Royal Command, all of which were written by the author. The book series later continued under author Steve Cole with Shoot to Kill, Heads You Die, Strike Lightning, and Red Nemesis.
“On his first day at his new school, James Bond is about to make his very first enemy, and is soon plunged into a deadly adventure that will take him from the playing fields of Eton to the murky waters of Loch Silverfin…,” the synopsis for the upcoming audio drama SilverFin states, adding, “A monstrous secret lurks beneath its icy surface… a secret that threatens to plunge the world into a new era of warfare.”
In addition to the full casting announcement, Big Finish Productions has also shared a video titled “James Bond goes to Eton,” in which Isaac Rouse visits the real Eton for a photo shoot.
Split across two parts, Young Bond: SilverFin will consist of 16 half-hour episodes, for approximately eight hours of full-cast audio drama.
The complete story will be released across two box sets and is scheduled to arrive on October 29.
More 007 Action Confirmed
James Bond Novels
Meanwhile, Higson has returned to Bond in print with King Zero, an adult 007 novel that was released in September. The audiobook version is narrated by British actor Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Shaun of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy).
There’s also Vaseem Khan’s The Man with the Golden Compass, the second Q Mysteries novel that’s scheduled for release in October, and M. W. Craven’s James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy, a new middle-grade series starring 007 as a mentor, coming in April 2027.
James Bond Comic Books
007 is also making his mark in comics. Titan Comics is set to release Ian Fleming’s James Bond Signature Comic Strip Collection Vol. 1, a new hardcover collecting the original seven full-length 007 newspaper comic-strip adventures. Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on February 23, 2027.
IDW has also announced a brand-new James Bond comic book series titled Sunbreaker from writer Grant Morrison. There’s no release date yet.
Are you excited to hear Isaac Rouse’s take on a young James Bond? Who do you think will play 007 in the upcoming film reboot? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
