The search to find the next James Bond is well and truly underway, with fans being given their first official update that the casting announcement could be coming sooner than they think.
Ever since Daniel Craig bowed out as 007 in 2021’s No Time To Die, there has been endless chatter about who could play Ian Fleming’s iconic secret agent next.
With five years having passed since, a number of actors once considered shoo-ins for the role appear to have aged out of the competition, particularly after casting director Nina Gold said that they were looking for an actor young enough to play Bond in at least three more instalments in the franchise.
The casting process began in June, with producer Amy Pascal now sharing a promising update on the process and when the name might be revealed.
In a new interview, former Sony boss Pascal – who took over the franchise following the departure of long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson – was asked whether fans could expect to learn who the next Bond will be by the end of 2026.
“I would say the end of the year is a good bet,” Pascal told Deadline. ”We are being really, really methodical.
“Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it’s got to be something really different that is a stirring and exciting and different.”
Directed by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve, the currently-unnamed next Bond film is the first to be made under Amazon MGM Studios, who now have creative control over the film.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is writing the script, and revealed in a recent interview that while he “can’t really talk about what I’m doing with Bond”, the experience so far had been “fantastic”.
Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Damson Idris, Harris Dickinson, Tom Holland and Louis Partridge are among the bookies’ favourites to take on the role.
Announcing that casting was underway in June, Amazon MGM Studios said: “The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
At the time, casting director Nina Gold added that the team were looking for an actor who “oozes sex appeal”.
