The process to find the next 007 is officially underway – and there’s a new potential Bond who’s caught the bookies’ attention.
West End star Tom Francis is the latest rumoured name to be in the running for the coveted role, overtaking Harris Dickinson as a new favourite for Daniel Craig’s James Bond replacement.
The 27-year-old, born in Colchester, is best known for starring as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, picking up an Olivier Award last year for Best Actor in a Musical.
Francis made his screen debut in Netflix thrillerYou last year and took on a small role in George Clooney film Jay Kelly but is more of an established name in the theatre world, having starred in & Juliet and Hair on the West End.
While Masters of the Air’s Callum Turner is still the bookies’ favourite to become the next Bond, Sky Bet recently offered odds of 10/3 on Francis taking the role, taking him to second place on the list of possible 007s.
He’s bumped Babygirl star Harris Dickinson to third place, with most bookies offering odds of 4/1 for him. Enola Holmes’ Louis Partridge, Kick Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi are also rumoured to be in the running.
Francis was rumoured to have auditioned for Bond earlier this year, with Variety reporting in May that he had met with the franchise’s casting team.
The Independent has contacted Francis and Amazon for comment.
While last month, it was reported that producers had set a date for the next round of James Bond auditions this summer – and it wasn’t just A-listers who were being considered for the blockbuster part.
Deadline revealed the new casting director Nina Gold had been meeting with actors, with sources saying saying that they were “for lesser known names to see if anyone should be added to the list of prominent actors expected to get a call for the next round”.
Speculation over who’ll be the next star behind the British spy’s Aston Martin has been rife over the last few years, with the franchise still yet to replace Daniel Craig. The next film is set to be directed by Denis Villeneuve – however, it’s unknown when fans are likely to see Ian Fleming’s creation back on the big screen.
Craig starred in five Bond films during his 15-year tenure in the role, bowing out with 2021’s No Time to Die.
The same year, Amazon bought MGM – which shared the rights to James Bond with production company Eon – before assuming creative control of the franchise in 2025.
Speaking to The Independent last month, former Bond casting director said that she doesn’t want to see Turner, Dickinson or Elordi as Bond – stressing that there needs to be an element of the unknown with whoever takes the role.
“We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are,” she said. “We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives. We never want to see him at home.
“And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. 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.”
