Following the news that Amazon MGM Studios had taken full creative control over the James Bond franchise via a joint venture with longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson back in 2025, who will become the next 007 has been the main question on fans’ lips.
With seven actors officially portraying James Bond in the myriad of movies, with the most recent being Daniel Craig, who hung up his badge back in 2021’s No Time To Die, the role has been open ever since but, in recent weeks, a shortlist of actors who could grab the most iconic British role was revealed.
The Shortlist Has Been Revealed
Consisting of Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), Jack Barton (Heartstopper), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), and Harris Dickson (Outer Banks), reports suggest that it is Lowden and Barton who have cemented themselves as frontrunners.
However, what is perhaps the most exciting is that both Lowden and Barton have lent their voices to some iconic game franchises. Whilst Lowden starred in Battlefield 1, Barton took on the role of an iconic Elden Ring character: Messmer the Impaler.
According to PageSix, Bond 26 director Denis Villeneuve and casting director Nina Gold are on the lookout for a relatively unknown actor to become the next James Bond and with Barton only having a handful of projects under his belt, he most definitely fits the bill. Luckily, screen tests for the aforementioned actors will begin this month, so it may not be long until we receive official confirmation.
Starring in Heartstopper, SAS: Rogue Heroes, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning 2023 movie Poor Things, Barton is making quite a name for himself and, despite delivering an incredible performance in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree as Marika’s forgotten son, Messmer, this is his only video game credit.
Who Will Be Our Next Bond?
With Barton reportedly being a front runner as the next James Bond, with Dunkirk‘s Lowden not far behind, the speculation is ramping up, but as one of the most anticipated pieces of news in media history, it is no wonder that fans are hanging on every update.
After all, it has been over five years since the latest James Bond movie hit cinemas, and with no official confirmation of the next Bond, fans are understandably feeling frustrated. However, there is also no denying that the next major star has some big shoes to fill, and so we can only hope that the right decision is made as screen tests begin in earnest.
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Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond
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GoldenEye 007, The World Is Not Enough, 007: Nightfire, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Quantum of Solace, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love, James Bond 007: Blood Stone, GoldenEye 007 Remake, 007: Agent Under Fire
- First TV Show
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Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond
