James Bond race ‘down to last FOUR actors
THE race to find Daniel Craig’s James Bond successor has been whittled down to four actors – with final screen tests set to to take place over the coming week.
The coveted role has been up for grabs following the release of 007 blockbuster No Time To Die in 2021, Craig’s fifth and final outing as the Martini-swilling secret agent.
Since then, an array of high-profile Hollywood stars have been linked with the franchise, notably Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi and Brits Theo James, Idris Elba, and James Norton.
But Jeff Bezos and Amazon MGM Studios, who paid $20million for full creative control of the 64-year old franchise in 2025, are said to be keen on four alternative actors.
According to The Wrap, Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden have made it to the final round of screen tests, alongside a fourth, currently unnamed actor – thought to be Heartthrob star Jack Barton.
Apart from a handful of other minor TV roles, little else is known about the young actor, but he has reportedly impressed producers enough to earn critical screen tests alongside his three Bond rivals.
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Fans are already convinced that Lowden has landed the role after spotting a clue in the series finale of AppleTV show Slow Horses, in which he plays MI5 agent River Cartwright.
With Cartwright’s life seemingly hanging in the balance, viewers suggested the Scottish actor might be taking time off to film the next Bond movie.
“Ok so we officially have our James Bond, right???” wrote one fan on Reddit.
Posting on X, a second added: “Does the final scene mean Jack Lowden got the Bond gig?”
“The Slow Horses season 6 finale and season 7 trailer prove that Jack Lowden will be the new James Bond,” wrote another.
Elsewhere, a fourth commented: “We will know if there is a James Bond announcement in the next couple of weeks. That is the only reason I could think that they would kill him off.”
Sadly for fans, the timing doesn’t quite add up – the seventh series of Slow Horses has already wrapped and shooting for the eighth season is currently underway, with all of the cast spotted on location in London.
Jack’s Slow Horses co-star Gary Oldman, 68, appeared to confirm he’d been cast as the next James Bond during an appearance on Canada’s The Morning Show.
“It’s been rumoured that [Jack Lowden is] on the shortlist,” he said.
“We’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him.
“They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack.”