Film & TV3 min(s) read
3 final candidates to become new James Bond have been named
The long-anticipated announcement of who the next James Bond is is drawing ever closer, as Amazon MGM Studios is rounding up its final auditions over the next week, and three of the four finalists have seemingly been revealed.
Three of Britain’s best-looking actors have been declared as the top contenders by insider source. The three expected to test are Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, and Josh O’Connor.
Sources told Hollywood entertainment news outlet Deadline that screen tests for the Bond role could begin as early as Friday and go through the next week for its final group.
Who are the final actors in the running?
Jack Lowden is a Scottish actor who is most recognisable for his roles in Slow Horses, Dunkirk, and The Gold.
Callum Turner is an English actor known for his performances in Fantastic Beasts, The Capture, and Masters of the Air, and of course being newly married to pop superstar Dua Lipa.
Josh O’Connor, also English, is best known for playing Prince Charles in The Crown and for his acclaimed roles in God’s Own Country, and Challengers.
Due to scheduling conflicts with the finalists, screen tests were pushed to the end of the month after originally being planned for the beginning.
Although there is no timeline for when a final decision will be made, it is widely believed it will be announced by the end of the year.
When did Daniel Craig announce the end of his tenure?
It was first announced that there would be an incumbent 007 almost 10 years ago, when Daniel Craig first announced that his fifth James Bond film would be his last in August 2017, during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
He said he wanted to “go out on a high note,” and reconfirmed his departure in November 2019, stating that No Time to Die would be his final film as British spy heartthrob Bond.
However, it was only announced that the search for a new James Bond was officially underway in September 2022, although discussions about replacing Daniel Craig had begun earlier.
The role of James Bond, based on the character in the books written by Ian Fleming, has been played by six official actors in the Eon film series, beginning with Sean Connery in 1962.
Roger Moore then acted in the most films of the action franchise, playing the protagonist in seven of the films between 1973 and 1985.
Timothy Dalton took on the eponymous character, starring in two films released between 1987 and 1989.
He was then followed by Pierce Brosnan, who starred in four films from 1995 to 2002.
Then Daniel Craig took over and portrayed Agent 007 in five films, reinventing him as an emotionally complex character whose story concluded in No Time to Die.