The hunt for the next James Bond is reportedly down to a last round of screen tests, and they start today. Deadline reported on October 22 that Amazon MGM has invited four actors to test over the coming week, in London, in Bond wardrobe and a range of setups.
Who's on the list
Deadline names Callum Turner, Josh O'Connor and Jack Lowden. The fourth invitee hasn't been named in any report I could find. The Hollywood Reporter, as relayed by OutNow, names only Turner and Lowden. Jacob Elordi, a long-running rumor, is reportedly not testing.
Why this is the interesting stage
Screen tests are where a casting rumor becomes a decision. Bond is a strange job: the actor has to carry a tuxedo scene, a fistfight and a throwaway joke inside a single scene, and chemistry with the other cast matters as much as the look. Denis Villeneuve is directing, and Amazon MGM, which took creative control from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, has declined to comment.
The shortlist itself says something. Turner, O'Connor and Lowden are all British actors with real stage or arthouse credibility, rather than a conventional action star. That fits a Villeneuve film, which will probably lean on atmosphere and restraint. It also fits the Gary Oldman chatter about Lowden we covered when the script news broke.
Timing matters too. The tests were reportedly planned for August but slipped because not every candidate was free, and an announcement could come within weeks. A cinema release is unlikely before 2028. Nothing is confirmed until Amazon says so.
Stock photo: Gift Habeshaw / Unsplash
[AFFILIATE: Slow Horses Season 1 Blu-ray, a natural pointer for readers who want to see Jack Lowden's range before the announcement]