Casting James Bond is one thing, but casting a Bond villain is another matter entirely – and producers are said to be eyeing up a British House of the Dragon actor for the next film.
With the new 007 announcement imminent – and director Denis Villeneuve ready to shoot the new film after the release of Dune: Part 3 in December – the Bond 26 playing pieces are being lined up by Amazon, who acquired control of the franchise in February 2025.
According to reports, 29-year-old Ewan Mitchell – who plays the villainous Aemond Targaryen in HBOs’s Game of Thrones spin-off – is in contention to play the baddie.
“Ewan is the perfect option for Amazon because he has accrued a good CV, but is not as established an actor as some of the names who have been linked to the return of Bond,” a source told The Sun.
“They’re looking for an up-and-coming name rather than an established star, and someone with a very distinct look.”
The source added that producers are “looking at a more youthful cast”, throwing doubt on the return of older cast members who starred opposite Daniel Craig, including Ralph Fiennes and Rory Kinnear. The Independent has contacted Mitchell and Prime Video for comment.
Mitchell’s other credits include BBC shows The Last Kingdom and World on Fire, as well as Emerald Fennell’s 2023 film Saltburn, starring Bond contender Jacob Elordi.
Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden is the favourite to play Bond in the new film, with other contenders including Jack Barton (Heartstopper) and Callum Turner.
Retired casting director Debbie McWilliams, who helped put Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the tuxedo over the years, told The Independent in June that “it is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma,” adding: “I don’t want to see [Elordi, Turner, Dickinson et al] as Bond because we now know so much about them.
“We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives… He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”
This chimed with reports that filmmaker Villeneuve was looking for “an unknown” Brit, possibly in his late twenties or early thirties, to play 007.
Last month, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who is writing the film, revealed that the character had been cast – and hinted that he’s been writing with the actor in mind.
When asked whether he had written the film to fit the chosen acto or based on what he already knew about the character, he told Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a bit of both. It does make life a little bit easier if you know who that person is, but also you have to write the character, not the actor.”
When quizzed about when exactly he found out who was going to succeed Craig in the role, Knight squirmed, adding: “I’ll refer you to my previous answer.”
