The next James Bond is one step closer to being named, with final screen tests for the role reportedly underway this weekend.
Callum Turner, 35, and Jack Lowden, 36, are among the finalists who will test for the iconic spy role, according to The Hollywood Reporter. At least four actors have received offers to screen test, with up to five potentially participating.
Josh O’Connor, 30, the “The Crown” actor, is also expected to test, insiders said. The identity of the fourth contender remains unknown.
Jacob Elordi, the Oscar-nominated star who had been rumored for the role in the spring, is not among those testing. Jack O’Connell, the “Sinners” actor who was also rumored to be in consideration, is not a finalist either, sources said.
The screen tests mark the culmination of a months-long search to find Daniel Craig’s successor. Craig, 57, held the role from 2006’s “Casino Royale” until 2021’s “No Time to Die.” Sean Connery originated the role with 1962’s “Dr. No,” with Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton also playing versions of the spy over the decades.
Denis Villeneuve, the “Dune” filmmaker, will direct the next Bond movie for Amazon MGM Studios. The studio bought the creative rights to 007 from the Broccoli family in 2025, ending the longtime stewardship of producers and half-siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Their family had produced all 25 main films in the franchise.
The transition has not been without tension. In December 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Broccoli had privately told friends, “These people are f–king idiots,” referring to the Amazon team.
Amazon has not officially confirmed an age range for actors, but sources said in April that the new Bond will be younger than previous incumbents.
Lowden emerged as a frontrunner in the fall. In September, his “Slow Horses” co-star Gary Oldman claimed the next Bond had already been chosen.
“We’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him,” the Oscar winner alleged. “They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet.”
During an interview in October, Lowden’s wife, Saoirse Ronan, 32, was asked about the rumors.
“Well, Gary Oldman thinks he’s James Bond,” the Irish actress replied.
She added, “We’re kinda getting on with our life…So, yeah, it’s not really a subject that’s coming up in our house, to be honest. The dog needs to be walked, the dinner needs to be made — we’re most focused on that.”
Turner, who is married to pop star Dua Lipa, 31, has not publicly addressed the Bond speculation. Lipa has also not weighed in on the rumors surrounding her husband, though she expressed interest in the franchise back in 2018.
“I’d love to do the Bond theme tune,” she told British GQ at the time.
Lowden has another high-profile role on the horizon: he is starring as Mr. Darcy opposite Emma Corrin in Netflix’s “Pride and Prejudice,” due in December.
An official announcement on the next Bond is expected by the end of the year, per Deadline.