10 Years Later, The New James Bond’s Breakout Role Keeps Getting Better And Better

Published Sep 22, 2026, 5:38 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. The new James Bond actor got his breakout role 10 years ago, and that show is only getting better after a decade of aging. Though Amazon gained control of James Bond from Eon only recently, the company has moved very quickly in putting its own mark on the 007 franchise. Bond 26 is already well into development with Denis Villeneuve and Steven Knight attached to the film, but fans already have the first new Bond since Daniel Craig took over the role in 2006's Casino Royale. While the search for the next James Bond actor in live action is still very much underway, and we don't yet know who will be properly replacing Craig in Bond 26, Patrick Gibson played a younger Bond in 007 First Light. The action-adventure video game, which came out in May 2026, was developed and published by IO Interactive, with potential sequels being developed under Amazon Game Studios. Gibson will presumably only be playing Bond in video game format, but he still holds the distinction of being the first actor to play 007 during Amazon MGM's tenure over the franchise. Now that Gibson has become the second-youngest actor to ever play Bond, beaten only by George Lazenby, it's worth looking back to see how he achieved such a prominent casting. While he has had some notable roles in recent years, like playing Dexter Morgan in the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, Gibson's road to 007 fame started with his breakthrough role in Netflix's The OA over a decade ago. James Bond Star Patrick Gibson Launched His Career With The OA Image via MovieStillsDB Long before he became James Bond, Patrick Gibson had his breakout role in The OA in 2016. While Gibson had gained a bit of notoriety in Ireland after appearing in What Richard Did in 2012, The OA introduced him to a global audience. Gibson played Steve Winchell, one of the five people Prairie Johnson, the titular "Original Angel," enlists in a mission to save the other captives and go on a mind-bending sci-fi journey. One of the most remarkable parts of The OA and Gibson's role in it is how well they have aged. The OA was canceled after its second season, ending the show on a massive cliffhanger, mostly due to low viewership and a high production budget. While it didn't get the recognition it deserved then, The OA has been vindicated by time. Now, 10 years later, The OA is still one of Patrick Gibson's best projects. The OA was ahead of its time in a number of ways. It got to the multiverse trend years before superhero projects like Avengers: Endgame and blockbuster hits like Everything Everywhere All at Once. More importantly, it was a bastion of earnest, emotional storytelling at a time when cynicism and darkness were all the rage. The OA feels like it captured the allure of Project Hail Mary a decade in advance, in a year when gritty, post-ironic movies like Deadpool ruled the box office. To this day, The OA still stands as a remarkably optimistic show. There's really nothing else like it on television, which is something almost no other show can say, especially after 10 years in the age of streaming. The OA was endlessly kind, faithful, and imaginative in a way few stories are. Patrick Gibson's performance, as well, now stands as a perfect encapsulation of how The OA caught lightning in a bottle: his initially mean and violent character was won over by the titular OA to the side of kindness. When Will The Next James Bond Be Announced? As great as Patrick Gibson was in The OA and in 007 First Light, there's still an elephant in the room. Gibson may have been Amazon MGM's first Bond actor, but he's not the main 007, and the company still hasn't revealed who will be playing the character in Bond 26. Bond fans around the world are eagerly awaiting news of who could take on the 007 codename next, yet we don't know when that announcement will come. While Amazon MGM hasn't officially declared when their Bond casting will be announced, there is some hope in store. Amazon reportedly has a "shortlist" of Bond candidates, having narrowed the list down to just seven actors. The mere fact that Amazon is openly sharing the shortlist is a great sign that they're approaching a final decision. That, coupled with the swiftly moving production of Bond 26, which Steven Knight has reportedly finished the script for, means an announcement could be coming in a matter of months or weeks. On top of it all, producer Amy Pascal recently teased that an announcement about the next James Bond could come before 2026 is over (via Deadline). Based on the information we have, it seems that Amazon MGM is preparing to finalize the next 007 and clue the public into the casting process. While Patrick Gibson won't be the newest James Bond after that, his work on 007 First Light and The OA are more than enough of a consolation prize. TV Show(s) Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond Video Game(s) GoldenEye 007, The World Is Not Enough, 007: Nightfire, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Quantum of Solace, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love, James Bond 007: Blood Stone, GoldenEye 007 Remake, 007: Agent Under Fire First Film Dr. No First TV Show Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond Genres Action Cast Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig