Robert Pattinson seen as favourite to be the next James Bond before official Amazon MGM announcement

Reported front-runner

Robert Pattinson has emerged as the favourite to succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to Matthew Belloni's newsletter at Puck, a Hollywood trade publication. Amazon MGM has not officially announced the casting. Reports first surfaced on Friday, 6 November, that Pattinson, 40, and Nicholas Hoult, 36, had been screen-tested over the weekend of 23 to 25 October, alongside Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O'Connor, who are all 36. Puck's sources say every finalist signed pre-contracts before camera tests. The Guardian, citing Belloni, reads the favourable terms as a sign that the studio is willing to sacrifice something to land a well-known star for its most important franchise.

Contract terms

Puck reports that the younger and less high-profile candidates had to commit to four films, while Pattinson negotiated three films and a much higher fee, which is not specified. According to the same account, the deal was hard to negotiate and close, and the effort to fit his tests in late in the process is read as further evidence of the studio's preference. Belloni also argues that the producers were not fully satisfied with the original three-name shortlist, which is why more established names were allowed into the process. Pattinson's reported commitment of three films is one fewer than the four required of the other shortlisted actors.

Robert Pattinson3

Other shortlisted actors4

Robert Pattinson

3 films

Other shortlisted actors

4 films

Data from the article text

The shortlist

The Guardian says the shortlist is now down to five names: Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Josh O'Connor, Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, although nothing has been officially announced. Pattinson is the best known of the five, with appearances in Twilight, Harry Potter, The Batman and Dune. Lowden, who spoke to GQ about the rumours in October, said he did not want to add to them.

“It's nice to be mentioned - for any role - and I'm just not really going to add to the noise.”

O'Connor told The Hollywood Reporter that being considered in the same bracket as the others was 'extraordinary'. A Guardian column by Sian Cain published on 9 November argued that Pattinson's recent choices favour auteur films, which makes it seem unlikely he would accept the role.

Production and timing

Bond 26 is the 26th film in the official series and will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, with Steven Knight writing the script and David Heyman and Amy Pascal overseeing the project. Amazon MGM took over the franchise after a 2025 deal with Eon, and The Guardian reports that it paid over $1bn to acquire creative control. Courrier international gives 2028 as the expected release year. Pattinson recently worked with Villeneuve on Dune: Part Three, which has a scheduled premiere on 15 December. A rumour circulating in the industry, reported by SAPO, says Villeneuve himself invited Pattinson to the casting while filming of The Batman Part II was suspended in London in October.

What happens next

No source gives a date for Amazon MGM's official announcement. The Guardian describes the process as nearly complete, with the shortlist narrowed to five names. If Pattinson is offered the role, the reported terms would bind him to three films. Until the studio confirms the casting, the Puck reporting and the rumours about Villeneuve remain the only available accounts of how the choice was made.