The Next James Bond Actor List Is Narrowing, And This Is The Perfect Casting Choice

Published Aug 15, 2026, 9:15 AM EDT Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more. Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor. He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre. To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net. The James Bond casting rumors are heating up once again, and it appears that the franchise is closing in on who will play the next Agent 007. For many years, it was considered a role for a veteran actor like Henry Cavill, but that isn't what Amazon MGM is going for. Instead, the studio wants a young actor in his 20s or 30s to take on the role and then carry it for more than a decade of movies about the British superspy. This has pushed Cavill out of contention and added some big names like Callum Turner, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi into the conversation. There were even some bigger names added to the list, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Holland. While all those actors could pull off Bond in the right movies, a new name shot to the top of the list. Director Denis Villeneuve has notified the actors who advanced to the next stage of the casting process, and those tests are ongoing. With that in mind, the best actor is right there and ready to go, and he already has experience playing spies in the British spy genre. Jack Lowden has risen to the top of the list for the next James Bond, and he would be perfect in the role. Jack Lowden Has Everything Needed For A Great James Bond Lowden is the perfect choice for James Bond ahead of Villeneuve casting the next 007. He has already found success in the genre, playing MI5 agent River Cartwright in the acclaimed Apple TV+ spy thriller Slow Horses. That series, starring Gary Oldman, has given Lowden plenty of experience playing a British intelligence operative. The actor also has experience working with big-name directors on large-scale movies. He worked with Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk, "stars in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, and appears in the professional wrestling biopic Fighting with My Family. He also appears in one episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and will star as Mr. Darcy in the upcoming Pride and Prejudice streaming series. The best thing about Lowden is that he isn't a huge name, so he could slide into the role of James Bond without causing a distraction. He is also an accomplished actor, with British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations for Slow Horses and a 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for his role in the stage play Ghosts. Turner, Dickinson, and Elordi are all quality choices, but Lowden is the perfect pick. Jack Lowden Could Easily Play James Bond For Over A Decade The other big thing about Lowden joining the franchise as James Bond is that he is young, but not too young. The actor turned 36 in June 2026, meaning he could play James Bond for the next 14 years and still be three years younger than Daniel Craig was when his fifth and final James Bond movie hit theaters. There is no word on how fast Amazon MGM plans to make James Bond movies, but even at one release every three years, Lowden would be only 51 after making five films, which fits perfectly into the age range that the studio has suggested for James Bond. How Likely Is Jack Lowden To Be The Next James Bond? Impressively, Lowden has now moved into the top odds to play James Bond in the next 007 movies, ahead of Turner. Based on the current betting odds (via OddsChecker), Lowden is now sitting at 6/4 odds, and in other cases, up to 2/1 at the book to take the role. On the other hand, Turner has dropped to second place, with some sites listing him at 5/4 odds and others at 3/1 odds. Other betting favorites for James Bond include Dickinson, Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, and Cavill. Holland also re-entered the conversation recently, but he falls lower on the list, as does former frontrunner Jacob Elordi. That said, the recent news has Lowden sitting high on the betting lists, and with his young age, experience in the British spy genre, and good looks, there is a good chance that Amazon MGM has found its next James Bond. 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