Final auditions and the candidate list

Amazon MGM is moving into the final stage of its search for the actor who will take over the James Bond role from Daniel Craig. According to Deadline, final auditions could begin on Friday, 23 October 2026, while Kathimerini reports that a small group will be tested this weekend, on 24 and 25 October. Amazon MGM is also reported to plan its last tests for the week of 26 October, so the exact timing still varies between reports. At least four actors have been put forward, among them Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O'Connor. Kathimerini's reports put the number of candidates at between three and five and say the tests cover stunts, on-camera staging and dialogue.

Lowden's name has been linked to the role more recently, with his Slow Horses co-star Gary Oldman tipping him as the favourite. Turner's name has circulated for about a year. No one has confirmed that either actor is on the final list. The Hollywood Reporter says Jack O'Connell and Jacob Elordi will not take part, even though earlier speculation had suggested otherwise.

The creative team and the rights

Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next Bond film, and Steven Knight is writing the screenplay. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman were the first to join the project, and casting director Nina Gold was brought on in the spring. Amazon MGM bought the rights in a 2022 deal worth $8.45 billion and, after that, gained creative control of the film series. Villeneuve, who described himself as a devoted Bond fan, was drawn away from Dune, a project that took up most of a decade of his life, by the chance to direct this film.

Why the search has taken so long

Daniel Craig said in 2015, while promoting Spectre, that he would rather cut his veins than make another Bond film. He went on to appear in No Time to Die, which took about 24 months to reach cinemas partly because of the COVID period and was released in 2021. That film closed his run as 007 and left Barbara Broccoli and her team without a successor. Five years after his departure, no replacement has been found.

Schedule and open questions

In April, Amazon Film executives asked fans to be patient before the cast announcement. Deadline reported that a first round of auditions was planned for August. After two months of meetings, the producers and Villeneuve narrowed the list and held auditions in September. The auditions were originally set for early October but were moved to late October because the candidates had more commitments.

There is no timetable for the final decision, although official announcements are expected before the end of 2026. Amazon MGM has neither confirmed nor denied the reports. It pointed instead to an earlier statement that the search is ongoing and that it will share more news with fans once the time is right.