Amazon MGM Studios has spent most of this year searching for the next 007, and while there have been plenty of rumours, we've yet to learn who will lead the cast of the currently untitled James Bond 26.
Nina Gold (Game of Thrones) has reportedly been tapped as casting director, with Denis Villeneuve (Dune) set to direct the movie from a script by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). David Heyman and Amy Pascal are the franchise's new producers, taking over from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson after they stepped aside.
Bond is one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood, but it's a job that comes with a lot of expectations, especially as the actor will have to follow in the footsteps of icons like Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, and Sean Connery.
As we first revealed on ActioNewz.com, Jeff Sneider is reporting that Amazon MGM Studios has held the final rounds of tests, with Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) and Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) among those who participated. While he stopped short of revealing who the next Bond will be, Sneider is confident that Elordi, who is Australian, will be the next 007.
Villeneuve's preference for young Hollywood stars could favour Saltburn star, and the scooper believes that an official announcement is imminent.
Elordi is a much bigger name than Lowden, and it's easy to imagine him being someone the studio would like to build the Bond franchise around. The fact he's Australian isn't sitting well with some fans on social media, especially as George Lazenby—also from the country—isn't exactly remembered as the best Bond. There are also arguments that he's too "pretty" to make a convincing 007.
We'll have to wait and see what happens, but when an announcement is finally made, we'd expect it to be a lot splashier than a press release and a post on social media.
In August, Knight was asked about Gary Oldman throwing his weight behind Lowden. "I cannot speak about this subject. Much as I would dearly love to," he started, adding, "It does make life a little bit easier if you know who that person is, but also you have to write the character, not the actor."
"The thing with Bond is it’s its own universe, and it’s its own franchise. So there are certain rules," Knight continued. "I mean, obviously you have to move it along, but I love where it sits. I love that it’s British. I love that it’s not DC or Marvel. So I feel a responsibility to the text."
Stay tuned for updates on the next 007 as we have them.