BOND 26 Reportedly Has a Surprising New 007 Frontrunner as Six Actors Make the Shortlist

It’s been nearly five years since Daniel Craig ended his run as 007 with No Time to Die, and seemingly every British actor within tuxedo-wearing distance has been mentioned as a possible replacement at some point.

Now the search for the next James Bond may finally be entering its final stretch, and one of the names reportedly leading the pack is a genuine surprise.

According to Page Six Hollywood, six actors are currently in contention to play 007 in Bond 26: Jack Barton, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson.

Barton is reportedly sitting at the top of the James Bond shortlist.

That’s an interesting development because Barton hasn’t been one of the names constantly attached to the role over the past several years.

Compared with Elordi, Mescal, Dickinson and some of the other actors previously linked to Bond, he’s considerably less recognizable to mainstream audiences.

Barton may be best known to movie fans for his appearance in Poor Things, while much of his work has been on television, including Rogue Heroes and Heartstopper. He only has a small number of feature film credits, which could actually work in his favor.

The creative team reportedly wants a younger actor and a relatively fresh face capable of carrying the James Bond franchise through at least four movies. Barton turned 31 earlier this year, putting him squarely within the desired late-20s-to-early-30s range. It makes plenty of sense if Amazon MGM Studios is planning for the long haul.

Craig was 38 when Casino Royale hit theaters in 2006. He ultimately played Bond across five films spanning 15 years. Whoever takes over now could be signing up for an equally massive chunk of his career.

Casting someone who isn’t already a huge star also has its advantages. Barton could walk into the role without audiences having a long list of famous characters associated with him. Instead of watching a celebrity play James Bond, viewers have a better chance of simply seeing Bond.

Craig himself wasn’t a traditional blockbuster leading man before Casino Royale. He had built an impressive career largely through supporting and character roles before being handed one of cinema’s most famous characters. We all know how that worked out.

Another round of screen tests is reportedly planned for September, with Denis Villeneuve and the team expected to continue narrowing the field afterward. If everything stays on schedule, the next James Bond could be chosen within the next few months.

Dickinson’s presence among the six candidates is also interesting. Only about a month ago, reports suggested he had removed himself from consideration because he wasn’t interested in taking on another “gigantic” commitment after playing John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ ambitious four-film Beatles project. Something may have changed there.

Maybe the opportunity became harder to turn down once it became more concrete. At the very least, getting in a room and testing for Villeneuve isn’t exactly a bad career move.

An audition can lead somewhere unexpected even when an actor doesn’t get the part he originally wanted. Cillian Murphy, for example, tested for Batman on Batman Begins before Christopher Nolan ultimately cast him as Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow.

There’s also increasing reason to believe the Bond 26 casting saga won’t drag on much longer. Producer Amy Pascal previously addressed when fans might finally get an announcement, saying that “the end of the year is a good bet.” A September round of screen tests fits comfortably within that timeline.

Getting Bond locked down sooner rather than later would also make life easier for Villeneuve. The filmmaker has Dune: Part Three promotion and a potential awards campaign coming later this year and into 2027, so settling the 007 question would allow the new Bond movie to move on to the rest of its casting.

Once the leading man is chosen, attention can shift toward Bond’s allies, villains, love interests and the other characters who will populate this new era of the franchise.

The six reported contenders certainly offer an interesting mix. Elordi and Mescal are already major names, Turner has increasingly become a popular fan choice, Lowden has been discussed as Bond material for years, and Dickinson continues to build an impressive résumé. Yet Barton could be the wild card who actually walks away with the role.

There’s something appealing about the idea of the next James Bond being an actor most audiences don’t already know inside and out. If Barton nails the screen tests and convinces Villeneuve that he can carry four or more movies, the relative unknown could suddenly become a huge star.

With another round of James Bond screen tests reportedly coming in September and an announcement potentially arriving before the end of 2026, we may be close to meeting the man who will inherit 007’s license to kill.