More than five years after Daniel Craig bowed out as Bond in Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die, another 007 is about to receive his license to kill. According to a new report, Amazon MGM Studios’ search for the new James Bond is entering its final phase, as the company holds its last round of auditions over the next week. These screen tests could begin as early as Friday and run through the next few days.
Insiders told Deadline that four offers to participate in the tests have been sent out, with three of these going to Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, and Josh O’Connor. Six potential Bonds are reportedly on the shortlist to succeed Craig. These tests were originally planned for earlier in the month, but the final auditions were pushed back due to scheduling conflicts.
While the auditions are imminent, there’s no timeline for Amazon's final decision, though most expect it by the end of 2026; Amazon MGM producer Amy Pascal previously suggested as much. The search for the next Bond heated up earlier this year when Amazon MGM brought on casting director Nina Gold. She was the inaugural winner of the Oscars’ Best Casting category for Hamnet, and previously cast Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, Conclave, and several Star Wars films.
All three actors leaked as part of the final screen test are well-known names previously speculated to be in the running for Bond. As for Josh O’Connor, he has shot into the spotlight in recent years. After gaining recognition for his performance as Prince Charles in Netflix’s The Crown, O’Connor starred in an impressive run of films over the last few years, including Challengers, The Mastermind, Wake Up Dead Man, and Disclosure Day, among others.
Callum Turner most recently co-starred in the mildly absurd rom-com One Night Only (commonly referred to as the movie that’s like The Purge but with sex), but he’s also known for Spielberg’s World War II miniseries Masters of the Air and Fantastic Beasts. Scottish actor Jack Lowden has the most experience playing a spy in the group. He stars as River Cartwright in the espionage series Slow Horses.
Co-star Gary Oldman stumped for Lowden to be considered for the Bond role. It has been more than five years since the last film in the 007 series, No Time to Die, definitively ended Daniel Craig’s long tenure as Bond, which started with Casino Royale in 2006. Amazon completed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM in March 2022, landing the Bond franchise with it.
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