We're finally in the homestretch.
According to Deadline, and then backed by THR, Amazon/MGM Studios is holding the final round of screen tests for the next James Bond starting tomorrow. At least four actors have received test offers. Deadline's insiders say three of them are Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O'Connor. The fourth name is a “mystery actor.” THR only mentions Lowden and Turner, not O’Connor.
The tests were first scheduled for earlier this month. Scheduling conflicts among the finalists pushed them back so everyone could test in the same window. Even with the tests wrapping next week, a decision will come soon.
The notable omission is Jacob Elordi. Back in October 2025, a well-placed source told me Amazon/MGM was quietly pushing for Elordi and that he'd likely screen-test in 2026. In May, Marina Hyde said on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast that multiple sources had him in "pole position." He also met with Villeneuve and the studio earlier this year. Could he be the unnamed fourth finalist? Possibly. But if he isn't in this group, the studio has clearly moved in another direction.
Lowden, meanwhile, has had real momentum since August, when Richard Osman said he was being “strongly considered.” A few weeks later, his "Slow Horses" co-star Gary Oldman endorsed him as the next 007. Today's report suggests Lowden is very much still in the mix. Turner has been a tabloid favorite for years, but is coming off the frigid response of this summer’s “One Night Only.” O'Connor is the most interesting name here. He's a different kind of leading man, more interested in auteur filmmaking than blockbusters, and his presence on the final list says something about the range of the search.
Here's how we got here. Amazon/MGM took full creative control of the franchise and brought on producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman first. In June 2025 it tapped Denis Villeneuve to direct, Steven Knight ("Peaky Blinders," "Eastern Promises") later came on to write. After two months of meetings, the first auditions happened in August. Pascal, Heyman and Villeneuve then narrowed the field, and test offers went out in September.
Pascal has said an announcement should come before the end of the year. The goal is to shoot in 2027, and Puck's Matt Belloni has reported a 2028 release. Villeneuve will dive headfirst into all things Bond once "Dune: Part Three" hits theaters on December 18. He might hit the Oscar campaign trail in January and February, but once that's done, it will be all Bond for him for the next two years.
Lowden, Turner, O'Connor, or a mystery fourth? We should know soon.
Michael Mann's "Heat 2" won't be rolling cameras this year after all. Appearing on Today Show this morning, Stephen Graham said the sequel is now set to begin shooting in January.