Film

Who Will Be The Next James Bond?

27 August 2026

Dave Benett/Getty Images

Last year, Bond fans received seismic news about the future of the classic British spy franchise: Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson – the children of Albert R “Cubby” Broccoli, the legendary producer of the original James Bond films – who have overseen the series since the ’90s, ceded creative control to Amazon Studios. (The streamer bought MGM, the studio which produces the Bond movies, back in 2022, but has now reportedly shelled out an additional $1 billion for the right to freely develop this particular cinematic universe on its own terms.)

Then, a few months later, it emerged that Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated helmer of the Dune franchise, would be in the director’s chair. After that, we got some more intel, thanks to a report in Deadline. Per sources, Villeneuve “will embark on the search [for an actor] in [2026] when he completes production on Dune: Part Three.” He’s apparently after “a fresh face”, ideally “an unknown”, possibly “in his late 20s or early 30s”.

So, who will it be? Jacob Elordi, as per DeuxMoi? Or, as originally reported, someone “from the British Isles”, like Callum Turner? It seems a final decision has yet to be made, and it could all still be up for grabs. To that end, browse all the current contenders for the role below.

Dave Benett/Getty Images
1/19
Jack Barton
The name now suddenly on everyone’s lips? Jack Barton, who, according to Page Six, has emerged as an unknown shock favourite. With parts in Poor Things, SAS: Rogue Heroes and Heartstopper (as the mean older brother of Kit Connor’s Nick), the young actor clearly has experience but is still thrillingly under-the-radar. Per the publication’s sources, Barton might just be “the one”.
Michael Buckner/Getty Images
2/19
Jacob Elordi
Elordi as Bond… could it be so wrong it’s right? He certainly ticks plenty of the boxes (tall, looks good in a suit, lots of charm) and maybe a Gen Z It-boy would bring younger viewers to the franchise. Some inevitably wouldn’t be happy with his casting, but maybe James Bond in a baby mullet could be just the ticket? And he wouldn’t be the first Aussie Bond – that would be George Lazenby, in 1969, for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Phillip Faraone/VF24/Getty Images
3/19
Callum Turner
Callum Turner as the next Bond? Honestly, it makes perfect sense. Dua Lipa’s husband-to-be is easy on the eyes and incredibly talented – just see his performances in Emma, Masters of the Air and The Capture, the latter of which earned the Londoner a BAFTA TV nomination. He’s charming, has the natural swagger and feels ripe for a major, star-making casting moment. Though not an unknown, he just about qualifies as a fresh face. Add to that the potential of a Dua cameo as a Bond girl, and her writing the new theme song? It’s a no-brainer.
Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
4/19
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
The 28 Years Later star and previous frontrunner is accustomed to stunt work, and showed his versatility in Nocturnal Animals (for which he garnered a Golden Globe as well as a BAFTA nomination). He’s hardly a new face, but we could easily see the High Wycombe-born actor donning a sharp suit and sidling up to a poker table.

Mike Marsland
5/19
Harris Dickinson
The 30-year-old Londoner is a brilliant actor – just see Beach Rats, Triangle of Sadness, Scrapper, Babygirl and Urchin, the latter of which he also directed – and is highly respected, though not a total A-lister just yet. (That will surely change after he plays John Lennon in the upcoming Beatles biopics.) This makes him a highly compelling, almost Daniel Craig-esque choice – an indie darling making the leap to the mainstream in extraordinary fashion. I say bring it on.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
6/19
Dev Patel
In his feature directorial debut, the high-octane, John Wick-esque Monkey Man, the national treasure proved he could throw punches, land high kicks and navigate wild car chases with ease, which surely makes him a contender. He’s shown his range in everything from The Green Knight and The Personal History of David Copperfield to Lion, Slumdog Millionaire and Skins, collecting a BAFTA, SAG, Critics’ Choice Award and Oscar nod along the way. He has the profile but would also be an inspired choice.
Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images
7/19
Daryl McCormack
The 33-year-old Irish actor who broke out with Good luck to You, Leo Grande, Peaky Blinders and Bad Sisters just exudes star power – and would be a highly charismatic pick. With two BAFTA nods under his belt, it’d be the perfect time for the Bond franchise to snag him.
Ian West - PA Images/Getty Images
8/19
Joseph Quinn
After winning millions of fans as Stranger Things’s wild Eddie Munson, the 32-year-old Londoner charmed critics with Hoard and then gave compelling, memorable turns in A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II, Warfare and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He may not want to commit himself to another years-long franchise – but if he did, they’d be lucky to have him.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
9/19
Finn Bennett
Quinn’s Warfare co-star Bennett is a magnetic on-screen presence you may recognise from True Detective: Night Country and Black Doves. At 26, the London-born rising star is on the younger side, but in a year, that might be just right.
David M. Benett
10/19
Regé-Jean Page
“If you’re a Brit and you do something of any kind of renown, that people regard well, then people start saying the ‘B’ word,” Bridgerton’s former leading man has said of the rumours that he could be the next James Bond. “It’s like a merit badge… I’m glad to have the badge, I’m glad to be in such wonderful company of people who have the badge, but it’s a badge.” Sounds quite like 007-esque pragmatism, if you ask us.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
11/19
Damson Idris
Back in 2020, the South Londoner – who’s starred in F1, Snowfall, Outside the Wire and Swarm – admitted to Vogue that he loves fashion “a little bit more than acting”. “All I wear is suits,” he said. “I love feeling like Bond.” It’s been that way since he was a child, he explained, adding that his mum would dress him in a three-piece and shiny gold shoes for birthday parties where he would be “twirling my apple juice thinking it was a martini”. Now, the 34-year-old’s name is in the mix for the role, and it’s no wonder – he’s an accomplished actor with experience making action blockbusters, and an impeccably-dressed front row regular to boot, frequently seen at Louis Vuitton and Prada.
Jerritt Clark
12/19
Henry Golding
The British-Malaysian dreamboat could certainly make a bid to be the first Asian Bond. He was characteristically modest when asked about the speculation by Vogue, saying: “Even to be in that conversation, it’s an honour, but it’s out of my hands.”

Rodin Eckenroth
13/19
Robert Aramayo
A recent double BAFTA winner and star of I Swear and The Rings of Power, the 33-year-old Hull native has got those Bond rumours swirling with his charm and quiet heroism. He’s a dab hand with a sword – eagle-eyed viewers will also recognise him as the young Ned Stark from Game of Thrones – but could very well trade it in for a Walther PPK.
Mike Marsland
14/19
Jack Lowden
His turn as a floppy-haired young intelligence officer in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses has seen the gruff Scotsman enter the race, though when asked by Vogue if he’d consider swapping River Cartwright’s low-key sweatshirts for a tuxedo and martini, he was coy. Of Daniel Craig, whom he grew up watching as 007, the actor said: “It’s going to take a long time to get him out of my head. Or anybody else’s.” Still, with his already impressive oeuvre across stage and screen – Mary Queen of Scots, Fighting with My Family, Small Axe, the 2013 production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts which earned him an Olivier Award – he’d be a worthy successor.
David M. Benett
15/19
Paapa Essiedu
Already a stage veteran at 36, the supremely talented Londoner has delivered sensitive, nuanced performances in everything from The Miniaturist and Press to Michaela Coel’s virtuosic I May Destroy You. He entered the conversation when Danny Boyle, who was originally slated to direct the 25th Bond film, cited him as a potential successor to Craig – and who could blame him? Essiedu has the natural charisma as well as the range and depth required to propel the franchise into the future.
Neil Mockford
16/19
Paul Mescal
He dazzled us in a football kit and silver chain as the sensitive Connell in Normal People, and then sported swords and sandals in Gladiator II, but the Maynooth native looks equally good in black tie. At 30, he’s the right age, and he’d be a stellar choice. After featuring on a Digital Spy poll on who should be next to take on the role of Bond, he told the publication: “Would I play Bond? Yeah? I don’t know. If it ever came my way, we’d have a discussion about it... I don’t want to say yes or no. I am a massive fan, and will continue to be, regardless.”

Vincent Sandoval
17/19
Lucien Laviscount
When he first sauntered on screen in the second season of Netflix’s mega hit Emily in Paris, playing British banker Alfie who sweeps our titular heroine (Lily Collins) off her feet, the Burnley-born actor radiated charisma – a quality that is crucial to playing Bond. He may not be a particularly high-profile choice, but he’d be an effortlessly debonair one.
Jeff Kravitz
18/19
Tom Holland
Having already played one iconic character in Spiderman, Tom Holland has thrown his hat into the ring with 007-worthy confidence, telling Variety that “as a young British lad who loves cinema, I’d love to be James Bond. So, you know, I’m just putting that out there. I look pretty good in a suit.” Could we then have frequent Denis Villeneuve collaborator and Holland’s wife, Zendaya, as a Bond girl, perhaps?
Getty Images
19/19
Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Get Out catapulted him to international recognition, and just four years later, Judas and the Black Messiah earned him an Oscar. The 37-year-old would be a brilliant choice.