Callum Turner has stepped down as a director of Twentytwo Films, the production company he launched with his wife Dua Lipa last August, and the British tabloids are already reading it as a sign he's clearing the decks for James Bond.
Yes, the 36-year-old actor resigned from the company, which the couple co-owns in equal shares and which was modeled on Margot Robbie's LuckyChap. Bond producers want an actor fully committed to a role that swallows your life whole, and this move would fit that plan.
The timing is what's raising eyebrows. Turner reportedly showed up at Bray Studios in Berkshire on Friday for his Bond screen test, with four actors said to have reached the final stage of the search over the weekend.
Turner has been the betting favorite for a while now, and he certainly fits the criteria: tall, British, old-school leading-man energy. But he's not alone. Jack Lowden ("Slow Horses"), 36, is one of the finalists. Jacob Elordi, 29, is reportedly in the mix as well, which would certainly ruffle the purists who believe 007 has to be British.
SIDE NOTE: Josh O'Connor, who was also said to have screen-tested, reportedly told a fan backstage at London's Almeida Theatre that he won't be playing Bond. Take that for whatever it's worth.
Meanwhile, Turner and Lipa were snapped over the weekend sipping, what else, martinis at a restaurant. Of course, none of this is confirmation, and the Daily Mail claiming this "spells the end of almost a decade-long search" is classic tabloid overreach.
What we do know is that the clock is ticking. Producer Amy Pascal said back in August that the end of the year was "a good bet" for casting news. A November announcement would let Amazon MGM start shooting in 2027, with Denis Villeneuve directing. Yes, Turner makes a lot of sense. He has the look, and he's not yet so famous that he'd overpower the character. Still, it's wise to be cautious about whatever leaks out.
Only six actors have played Bond: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Whoever becomes the seventh is about to have his life changed forever. It could very well be Turner as he checks all the boxes needed.
Callum Turner has stepped down as a director of Twentytwo Films, the production company he launched last August, and the British tabloids are already reading it as a sign he's clearing the decks for James Bond.