Next James Bond: Mystery Fourth Audition Contenders Ranked, Including Tom Holland

Published Nov 1, 2026, 2:31 PM EST Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X. A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times. Auditions for the next James Bond are now well underway. Amazon is deep in the process of determining the next performer to don the suit and bow tie, showing that Denis Villanueve’s film is now getting closer to pre-production. Yet, all eyes remain on who will play the new iteration of James Bond, and whoever it is will have big shoes to fill. When Daniel Craig was cast as Bond in the early 2000s, the reaction was mostly negative. Newspapers in the U.K. blasted the decision to have Craig play 007, criticizing his blonde hair, saying that Bond should always have brown or black hair (as was the tradition before Craig stepped in). Yet, Craig proved everyone wrong in just his first movie, Casino Royale, which has since gone down in the history books as one of the best James Bond films ever made. Craig went on to star in five James Bond films: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. Some received better reviews than others (Quantum of Solace and Spectre were more heavily criticized than the rest), but overall, Craig’s casting proved to be a remarkable success, which only increases the pressure on whoever the next actor is to play James Bond. As of now, there are reportedly four names in the running for Bond in what are the final stages of the audition process. One is Callum Turner, who has long since been rumored to take on the role of Bond, and who has the typical appearance of the famous British spy. Joining Turner in the last round of auditions are Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor, both of whom have seen their careers skyrocket in recent years. However, the fourth name currently in the auditions remains unknown, which has prompted much speculation as to who this actor is. Some have suggested famous British names like Tom Holland, while others have gone for lesser-known actors. Credit: Steve Vas/Future Image/Cover Images As far as English (or British) actors go, Tom Holland is right up at the top of the list. Holland has been a household name since his early 20s, when he debuted as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Holland has gone on to appear in numerous projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including two Avengers films (Infinity War and Endgame) as well as four Spider-Man solo films, too. On this journey has Spider-Man, Holland’s career has gone from strength to strength, proving himself to be a bankable movie star, even outside of the MCU. Most recently, Holland starred alongside Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and is likely to earn several nominations at the next Academy Awards, including Best Picture. If Amazon want a bona fide movie star to take on the role of James Bond, someone who has already proven themselves capable of leading a big budget film, then Holland would surely be near the top of their list. After all, Holland is not only coming off of the success of The Odyssey, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day as well, which became the third highest grossing movie of all time, taking in well over $2 billion at the worldwide box office. Robert Pattinson Once again, if Amazon are aiming to cast a well-known actor as James Bond, then Robert Pattinson is surely someone who’s in consideration. The London-born actor starred alongside Tom Holland in The Odyssey, playing the main villain of the film. Even without much screen time, Pattinson excelled in the role, proving himself to be one of the highlights of the film overall. Pattinson has, crucially, been in a number of high profile projects before, and not just The Odyssey. The actor got his big break as Cedric Diggery in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, before going on to play Edward in the Twilight series, which launched him to international stardom. Since then, Pattinson has starred in many smaller, more independent projects, but he made his return to big franchises in 2022’s The Batman. Despite currently playing Batman, it’s still possible that James Bond is the future of Pattinson’s career. The actor is currently in the midst of filming The Batman Part II, but it’s unclear if there will be a third film to follow, especially with the personal difficulties of director Matt Reeves and the emerging presence of James Gunn’s DCU, which is understandably desperate to get its own Batman into the mix. Paul Mescal Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/Cover Images 30-year-old Irish actor Paul Mescal is another natural contender for the fourth actor currently auditioning for the role of James Bond. Mescal has risen to stardom in recent years through his roles in projects like Normal People, The Lost Daughter, and, more recently, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II and the Academy Award-winning Hamnet. Mescal appears to be the perfect age to play Bond, as Amazon are reportedly looking for a younger actor who can commit to the role for a number of years. With dark hair, a sharp jawline, and a solid English accent, Mescal also has the looks (and voice) to play the character. After all, he wouldn’t be the first Irish actor to take on the role, following in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan. Jack O’Connell Image via Netflix A more outside-the-box choice for James Bond would be Jack O’Connell. The English actor has gone from strength to strength in his career in recent years, having appeared in Ryan Coogler’s Academy Award-winning film Sinners, in which he played the vampire villain hunting down the main cast of characters. O’Connell has made a name for himself playing villains in recent years, too. The actor plays real life figure Larry Lamb in Danny Boyle’s Ink, which is currently doing the rounds at various festivals around the world before its debut in theaters in January. Overall, O’Connell would be a relatively out of left field choice, not only because he’s played plenty of villains in recent years, but because of his appearance as well. O’Connell is notably shorter than many of the current actors auditioning for Bond, and also sports ginger-like hair that may be controversial if he’s chosen. Harris Dickinson Credit: Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages Harris Dickinson is another English actor that may be the fourth name in the running for James Bond. Dickinson has appeared in films like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, The King’s Man, Where the Crawdads Sing, along with the miniseries A Murder at the End of the World. Dickinson’s arguably most famous role is one that is yet to release, as he’s set to play John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ four films centered on each member of the iconic band The Beatles. These films don’t release until 2028, but anticipation is already high for the projects (which, coincidentally, also feature Paul Mescal in the role of Paul McCartney). Like Mescal, Dickinson carries the natural James Bond looks, too. He’s already proven himself to be more than ready to take on a monumental role like Bond, so it’s entirely possible that Dickinson is the secret actor in the running. Owen Cooper If Amazon wanted to take a huge swing, then someone like Owen Cooper may well be in the mix for James Bond. At just sixteen years old (and turning seventeen in December), Cooper would be by far the youngest actor to take on the role of James Bond. Yet, once again, if the studio wanted to do something truly different with their upcoming film, then casting a teenager to play the iconic character would certainly do the trick. Despite his young age, Cooper has already made a name for himself, too. The actor had his breakout role in Netflix’s Adolescence, and, interestingly, has already been tipped to another big character, as Tom Holland recently endorsed him to take on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man one day.