Credit: MGM/EON ProductionsAccording to a new rumor, the next James Bond actor may have finally been found after months of auditions, with final screen tests reportedly taking place last week.
The actor will effectively replace 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).
Related: Confirmed: The Next ‘James Bond’ Will Not Be Set During the Modern Era
According to Showbiz411‘s Roger Friedman (via CBR.com), a journalist who is credited for breaking the news of Daniel Craig’s casting as Bond in Casino Royale over two decades ago, says “word on the street” is that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them actor Callum Turner is the new 007.
Turner has been mentioned many times over the past year alongside Jack Lowden (Slow Horses). Last week, Variety reported that the two actors, along with Josh O’Connor (Disclosure Day), were believed to be in the mix for screen-testing.
Lowden has been a clear favorite for some time; however, if this new report is true, he has been usurped by the Eternity actor.
Amazon MGM has yet to make an official announcement regarding who the next Bond is. It’s also important to note that Friedman doesn’t cite any sources in his write-up, and although he is credited for having revealed Craig’s casting, his previous success doesn’t independently verify this new report.
He simply says, “Word on the street is that Callum Turner is the next James Bond,” adding, “He’s tall, but not too tall. He can act, but not too much.”
He then goes on to say that “Director Denis Villeneuve can shape him up” and suggests that Turner’s wife, pop singer Dua Lipa, can sing the theme song for the upcoming film.
Whoever the next actor ends up being will become the seventh to play Bond in the official film series, following Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, marking the beginning of another new era for Bond in film.
The new film, commonly referred to as Bond 26, is being directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune films). Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, is writing the script, and the film is being produced by Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter films).
Amy Pascal told Deadline in August that “the end of the year is a good bet” for finding out who the new James Bond actor is, before adding that the new iteration of 007 has “got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different.”
Bond 26 has no release date.
Who do you think should become the next James Bond? Would Callum Turner make a good 007, or would you rather see Jack Lowden take over from Daniel Craig? Let us know in the comments!
