Just when we thought the end was in sight in terms of the seemingly-endless casting search for the next James Bond, we’ve been thrown a couple of curveballs.
Towards the end of last month, unconfirmed reports in the press claimed that 007 bosses were down to just four actors in their search for their next leading man, with Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, surprise addition Josh O’Connor and an undisclosed fourth star all thought to have made it through to the final round of casting.
But it turns out there could still be a couple more names in the mix.
On Friday evening, Deadline reported that both Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult were among those to have screen tested to be the next James Bond, citing “insiders” who said that a fifth name had been added to the casting process “at the eleventh hour”.
Rob, of course, has already had an amazing 2026, with roles in the likes of The Drama, Primetime, Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey and the long-awaited third instalment in the Dune franchise.
He also recently began work on his second outing as Bruce Wayne in The Batman: Part II.
Nicholas, meanwhile, is best known to many for his work as Beast in the X-Men movies, and last year made his debut as Lex Luthor in Superman.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Variety reported that Harry Styles had previously been involved in “discussions” while The Gentlemen’s Theo James “hasn’t been ruled out” either, according to their reporting.
James Bond producer Amy Pascal shared earlier this year that she and her team were on the lookout for “something really different” when it came to the next James Bond.
She added that the casting team were hoping to find someone “stirring and exciting and different” for the iconic role.
The next film in the James Bond series will be helmed by Dune director Denis Villeneuve, with the script being written by Steven Knight, best known as the creator of hit shows like Peaky Blinders and House Of Guinness.
