Final Next James Bond Actor Shortlist: What To Know About Each Actor & Why They're In Contention

Published Aug 27, 2026, 1:20 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Denis Villeneuve and Amazon MGM are closing in on who to cast as the next James Bond, leaving us with a shortlist of seven finalists that each have reason to be in contention. With No Time To Die closing the door on Daniel Craig's time as 007, discussions have been ongoing for years about who would take over the role. After hiring Villeneuve to direct Bond 26 and positioning the film to start production in 2027, the timeframe for the next Bond casting was narrowed to this year. Since the iconic spy is one of Hollywood's most prestigious open roles, practically every major British actor under 40 has been linked to the audition process. Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi were mentioned on a shortlist in 2025, while Tom Francis' audition was reported in May. Contenders like Theo James have dropped out of the race, and popular fan-casts like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Cavill have aged out of consideration. With Villeneuve preparing to turn his full attention to Bond 26, a casting decision is nearing. A recent report revealed six James Bond actor contenders: Jack Barton, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Paul Mescal, Jacob Elordi, and Harris Dickinson. Jack O'Connell is also reportedly still in the mix, according to Knight Edge Media. Mission Briefing · Eyes Only How Well Do You Know James Bond? “Bond. James Bond.” 🍸MartiniShaken, not stirred 🚗DB5Ejector seat standard 🔧Q BranchNow pay attention 🔫Gun BarrelThe walk 🐙SPECTREWe've been expecting you ACCEPT MISSION → 01 James Bond was created in 1953 by a former British Naval Intelligence officer who borrowed the name from the author of a dusty ornithology book on his desk in Jamaica. He wrote 12 Bond novels and two short story collections before his death in 1964. Name him. AJohn le Carré BIan Fleming CGraham Greene DLen Deighton ✓ Correct! Ian Fleming. He wrote the first novel, Casino Royale, in 1953 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, and literally lifted the name “James Bond” from the spine of Birds of the West Indies by the American ornithologist James Bond. Fleming wanted “the dullest name I could find” for his spy. He died of a heart attack in 1964, aged 56, and never saw the franchise become a cultural juggernaut. ✗ Wrong dossier. The answer is Ian Fleming. Le Carré wrote Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the colder, morally grey school of British espionage fiction. Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American and Our Man in Havana. Len Deighton wrote The IPCRESS File. Fleming is Bond — and the name literally came from the spine of Birds of the West Indies on his desk in Jamaica. NEXT → 02 The EON Productions film series launched in 1962 with Dr. No, shot on a shoestring £1 million budget and directed by Terence Young. Ian Fleming reportedly wanted Cary Grant or David Niven. Instead the producers gambled on a 31-year-old former milkman from Edinburgh. Who was the first screen 007? ARoger Moore BSean Connery CDavid Niven DTimothy Dalton ✓ Correct! Sean Connery. He'd worked as a milkman, coffin polisher and artist's model before breaking through in film, and Fleming was initially horrified — he described Connery as an “overgrown stuntman.” After seeing Dr. No, Fleming changed his mind and retroactively gave Bond Scottish ancestry in later novels. Connery did six official EON films (Dr. No through Diamonds Are Forever) plus the unofficial 1983 Never Say Never Again. ✗ Wrong roster. The answer is Sean Connery. Roger Moore took over in 1973's Live and Let Die. David Niven actually did play Bond — but only in the spoof 1967 Casino Royale, which is outside the EON canon. Timothy Dalton didn't arrive until 1987. Connery's 1962 Dr. No is where it all starts, and Fleming went from sceptic to fan within a year. NEXT → 03 After Connery quit in 1967, the producers cast an unknown Australian male model who was so confident he'd get the role that he talked his way into an audition by telling Cubby Broccoli's barber and his tailor that he was the new Bond. He only made one film — On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) — and quit. Who was he? AGeorge Lazenby BTimothy Dalton CPaul McGann DPatrick McGoohan ✓ Correct! George Lazenby. He had zero acting experience, talked his way in, got the role, and then walked away on the advice of an agent who told him Bond would be “dead by 1970.” It remains one of the most notorious career decisions in film history — On Her Majesty's Secret Service is now widely considered one of the best Bond films ever made. Lazenby has been openly regretful about quitting in just about every interview since. ✗ Wrong file. The answer is George Lazenby. Timothy Dalton did two Bond films (The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill) in the late 1980s. Patrick McGoohan was offered Bond twice and turned it down both times, and went on to make The Prisoner instead. Paul McGann has never played Bond. Lazenby is the one-and-done who talked his way in with a borrowed suit and walked out a year later. NEXT → 04 Bond's most iconic car — silver birch paint, ejector seat, machine guns behind the headlights, revolving number plates — made its debut in Goldfinger (1964) and has returned in GoldenEye, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die. What model is it? AAston Martin DBS BLotus Esprit CAston Martin DB5 DBMW Z8 ✓ Correct! The Aston Martin DB5. First seen in Goldfinger (1964), it's been the franchise's signature vehicle for over 60 years and has a near-cameo role in almost every Craig-era film. Aston Martin sold the DB5 from 1963-65 at a price of about £4,175 new. One of the original Goldfinger stunt cars sold at auction in 2019 for $6.4 million — making it one of the most valuable movie cars ever. ✗ Wrong garage. The answer is the Aston Martin DB5 — Goldfinger, 1964. The DBS came later (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Casino Royale). The Lotus Esprit is the submarine car from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The BMW Z8 is Pierce Brosnan's one-film-only 007 ride in The World Is Not Enough (1999). The DB5 is the ejector-seat one, and it's the car that always comes back. NEXT → 05 Bond's drink of choice — a vodka martini with a specific preparation instruction he delivers to bartenders across five decades — is three words long. Purists note that shaking actually bruises the gin and over-dilutes the drink, but 007 doesn't care. Complete the order. AStirred, not shaken BDirty, with olives CUp, with a twist DShaken, not stirred ✓ Correct! “Shaken, not stirred.” First delivered by Sean Connery in Goldfinger (1964), and said some 20 times across the film series. Fleming's novels actually call for a “Vesper” — three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken over ice until ice-cold, with a thin slice of lemon peel. In Casino Royale (2006), when asked if he wants it shaken or stirred, Craig deadpans: “Do I look like I give a damn?” ✗ Wrong pour. The answer is “Shaken, not stirred.” Connery said it first in Goldfinger (1964) and every Bond since has delivered a version. In Fleming's Casino Royale novel Bond actually invents the Vesper Martini to the order of “Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet” — shaken until ice cold. The phrase has become one of the most quoted lines in cinema. NEXT → 06 Starting with GoldenEye (1995), a Dame of the British Empire became the first woman to play Bond's MI6 boss on screen. She called 007 “a sexist, misogynist dinosaur — a relic of the Cold War” in her debut scene, and served across seven films before Skyfall (2012). Who was she? AMaggie Smith BHelen Mirren CJudi Dench DEmma Thompson ✓ Correct! Judi Dench. She played M in seven films from GoldenEye (1995) to Skyfall (2012), spanning the Brosnan and Craig eras — a rare continuity bridge through the soft 1996 reboot. Her death at the end of Skyfall, in Bond's arms, is still one of the series' most emotionally earned moments. Ralph Fiennes took over as Mallory/M from Spectre onwards. ✗ Wrong file. The answer is Judi Dench. She played M from GoldenEye (1995) through Skyfall (2012), delivering the “sexist, misogynist dinosaur” line in her very first scene opposite Pierce Brosnan. Helen Mirren has played a Queen and a Prime Minister but never M. Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson are giants of British film, but Dench is 007's M — and her onscreen death in Skyfall is the emotional climax of the Craig era. NEXT → 07 Bond title songs have been performed by everyone from Shirley Bassey to Paul McCartney to Chris Cornell. In February 2013 the franchise finally won its first-ever Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the title track of the 23rd film. Which singer won it? ASam Smith for Spectre BAdele for Skyfall CBillie Eilish for No Time to Die DMadonna for Die Another Day ✓ Correct! Adele's Skyfall won the Oscar at the 2013 ceremony — the first ever Best Original Song win for a Bond theme, ending a half-century wait. She co-wrote it with her longtime producer Paul Epworth. Sam Smith's “Writing's on the Wall” (Spectre) and Billie Eilish's “No Time to Die” also both won Best Original Song Oscars later — making three in ten years after 50 years of shut-outs. ✗ Wrong track. The answer is Adele's Skyfall — the first Bond theme ever to win the Best Original Song Oscar, in 2013. Sam Smith (Spectre, 2016) and Billie Eilish (No Time to Die, 2021) both later won their own Bond-song Oscars, but Adele was first. Madonna's “Die Another Day” was actually Razzie-nominated for Worst Original Song — the opposite honour. NEXT → 08 Daniel Craig — the sixth actor to headline an EON Bond film — ended his 15-year run in 2021 with a 25th instalment directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. In a franchise-shattering finale, 007 was killed off on a Royal Navy missile strike. What was Craig's final Bond film called? ASpectre BQuantum of Solace CNo Time to Die DSkyfall ✓ Correct! No Time to Die (2021). Delayed 18 months by the pandemic, it gave Daniel Craig an unprecedented sendoff — 007 died on the final mission, obliterated by a missile strike on Safin's nanobot island. Craig's five-film run (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, No Time to Die) is the longest-arcing serialised Bond in the franchise's history. The role has been vacant ever since, as Amazon and EON hash out the next casting. ✗ Wrong title. The answer is No Time to Die (2021). Skyfall was Craig's 2012 peak (Adele's theme, Judi Dench's farewell). Spectre (2015) reintroduced Blofeld. Quantum of Solace (2008) was the second Craig film. No Time to Die is the twenty-fifth EON movie, Craig's fifth, and the first film in the franchise's history to outright kill off James Bond. REVEAL MY CLEARANCE → Mission Debrief · MI6 Your Licence Rating 🎖 / 8 Double-O status — or still assigned to Q Branch? ⤴ NEW ASSIGNMENT Several of these names have been thought of as being in the mix for a while, while others are newer contenders to emerge. In either case, they provide a fascinating glimpse at the landscape for the James Bond casting process, with each actor holding attributes Villeneuve and Amazon would find appealing. Jack Barton Jack Barton has built an impressive career since getting his start in 2020. He made his feature film debut with Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things in 2023. Barton also became more recognizable for his role as David Nelson in Heartstopper and its conclusive movie, Heartstopper Forever. The biggest role for him came in the second season of Steven Knight's BBC One historical drama, SAS: Rogue Heroes. The latter credit could be one of the primary reasons Barton is in contention for Bond. Knight is writing Bond 26, so Barton already has an in with the creative team. It also helps that the actor has been widely praised for his performance in the series. His role in SAS: Rogue Heroes isn't a Bond prototype, but he's displayed a strength and confidence that would carry well into 007. Barton is only 31 years old, putting him on the younger side of the finalists. That would fit well for a movie that could show Bond in his earlier years and give the franchise plenty of time to keep him around. Barton also is a lesser-known actor in comparison to the other names below, giving him a chance to really become known as 007. Jack Lowden Jack Lowden is a Scottish actor who has taken on some notable roles throughout the years. He's best known now as one of the leads of Apple's spy thriller series Slow Horses. He's also been in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and worked with his wife Saoirse Ronan on Mary Queen of Scots. Lowden has practically spent years auditioning to be Bond through Slow Horses. He's played MI5 agent River Cartwright and earned widespread acclaim for his work. This includes two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globes nomination. His excellent performance as an up-and-coming British spy makes it abundantly clear that he'd fit right in as the MI6 agent. At 36 years old, Lowden is tied for the oldest actor in consideration. That could help Bond 26 make 007 feel more established, if that is the direction Villeneuve wants to take the character. Lowden is also 6'1, giving him a similar stature as previous Bond actors. He'd join Sean Connery as the only Scottish actors to play 007. Callum Turner Callum Turner has been acting since 2012, and he's tackled some major roles over the years that have put him in a position to be considered for Bond. He has blockbuster experience through the Fantastic Beasts sequels, while he's also leaned into his good looks for romance parts in films like Eternity and One Night Only. Turner did prestige TV, too, with Masters of the Air. Turner has shown the type of poise and charisma that is traditionally part of Bond's persona throughout his career. While his dramatic chops will be key to landing this role, Turner's comedic ability could also come into play whether Bond 26 wants more of a dry sense of humor for 007 or lean a bit closer to the campy Roger Moore era. Like Lowden, Turner is 36 years old, putting him on the older side of the casting search. But at 6'2, he's also one of the tallest contenders, making him the same height as Connery and Timothy Dalton. Turner is arguably the closest to Ian Fleming's portrayal of the spy, making him a favorite. Paul Mescal Paul Mescal started turning heads in 2020 for his role in the BBC/Hulu miniseries Normal People. That led to memorable performances in Aftersun, Gladiator II, and Hamnet. He's the contender with the most accolades to his name, as he's won two BAFTA awards, been nominated for an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Oscar. Mescal even won a Laurence Olivier award for his stage performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. Mescal is often considered to be one of the best actors of his generation, having the range to pull off every quality that Bond has. He can be serious, emotional, intense, charming, and more. Mescal is arguably the biggest name among the contenders, having headlined major blockbusters like Gladiator II and having a role as Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes' four The Beatles movies coming up. If Amazon wants more of a star, he'd make a lot of sense. At 30 years old, Mescal is the second-youngest actor known to be in the mix. He's also the only Irish actor, but that doesn't preclude him from landing the role. Pierce Brosnan already proved an Irish actor can be 007, while Patrick Gibson has done the same on the video game front with 007 First Light. Jacob Elordi Jacob Elordi became one of Hollywood's biggest rising stars in the late 2010s thanks to roles in Netflix's The Kissing Booth franchise and HBO's hit series, Euphoria. The actor has since turned heads with his roles in Saltburn, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, and Wuthering Heights. Elordi has often been linked to Bond thanks to the effortless charm he possesses. He's proven there is much more to him than his sex appeal, but that specific part of his on-screen presence could work in his favor here. Bond 26's casting director wants candidates to "ooze sex appeal" among other qualities. With being only 29 years old, Elordi is the youngest actor linked to the final stages of Bond 26's casting process. He's also the tallest with his towering 6'5 height, which would make him the tallest Bond if he lands the part. There could be a complication here, though, since Elordi is Australian, not British, but that apparently hasn't stopped him from staying in the race to this point. Harris Dickinson Harris Dickinson is one of the names who has been linked to Bond's casting process the longest. The actor has already played a British spy in an action franchise thanks to The King's Man. Dickinson is better known now from his performances in Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw, and Babygirl. Despite the notable projects he's been in thus far, Dickinson isn't quite as well known as Elordi or Mescal, but he's a bigger name than others. He's proven to have the gravitas, winning personality, and emotional complexity that could fit well with where Villeneuve and Knight take 007. Dickinson is also young enough to play Bond for years to come, since he is only 30. His 6'2 frame also ensures that his secret agent would have a natural commanding presence as he's saving the world. Jack O'Connell Jack O'Connell is a true chameleon who can tackle all types of roles. Audiences know him best now for his villain role in Sinners, while he also went back to the bad guy well with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. His other notable credits include Starred Up, '71, Unbroken, and SAS: Rogue Heroes. O'Connell's versatility shows why he could be an exceptional Bond. He's played characters with the confidence 007 must have, while he's also done the action and dramatic work necessary for a modern take on the role. Like Barton, O'Connell has a link to Bond 26 after working with writer Steven Knight on SAS: Rogue Heroes, which arguably only helps his chances. He is on the older side of the casting search, having turned 36 years old earlier this month. O'Connell is also the shortest actor in consideration at 5'8, which is two inches below Craig, who is currently the shortest Bond performer. But given his tenacity on screen and the rise he's experienced over the last year, his inclusion as a Bond 26 finalist makes sense.