007: Who’s the Next James Bond?
It’s been five years since our last James Bond movie, No Time to Die. Ever since then, people have been wondering who will be our next James Bond. Well, apparently five different actors have been screen-tested for the role of the 007 agent for the upcoming Bond movie directed by Denis Villeneuve. Those five actors are: Nicholas Hoult, Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor, Robert Pattinson, and Callum Turner. What do I think of those actors? Are they a good fit? Let’s talk about it!
My Thoughts: Overall, when it comes to casting these iconic characters like James Bond, there’s one rule I want them to follow. I don’t want a name actor playing an iconic character. With a couple of these, they’re already names that have played iconic characters. You can look back at some of the other Bond actors; they were not names prior to being cast. Daniel Craig was known for side characters in a couple of Matthew Vaughn movies and Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider movies. He gets cast as Bond and suddenly becomes an actor who everybody knows. Pierce Brosnan was in a similar situation when he was cast as Bond back in 1995 for GoldenEye. Whenever they start looking for the next Bond or the next Batman or whoever it may be, I don’t want a big-name actor taking on the role. What I like about these five actors that have screen-tested it’s a mix of the big-name actors with these “unknowns” that people know, but they don’t have a big franchise attached to their name.
Robert Pattinson: This is the most complicated one to talk about, because Pattinson is the ultimate example of what I just talked about. He’s a big-name actor that everybody knows, and he’s in multiple big franchises. Obviously, his claim to fame was 20 years ago with Twilight, where he has this heartthrob, and he also joined the Harry Potter franchise. He’s only in one movie, but he’s a character you remember and has some iconic moments in that movie. And then, of course, he’s Batman. He’s been in one Batman movie, and the next one is coming out soon. He’s also joining the Dune franchise later this year. The fact that he’s in multiple franchises, including a current big one, playing a super iconic character, means I don’t want Pattinson to be Bond. He’s already too big of a name and too big of a star, so I want somebody new to step into the role. I want Hollywood to discover the next big movie star by casting Bond. At the same time, would Pattinson be a good Bond? Yeah, I think he would be. Of the actors cast that have been screen-tested for the role, I think he’ll do the best job. Pattinson is a fantastic actor who can play the leading man, but he also can be charming in other ways. He’s a very versatile actor who can bring a lot to a role. He has the looks to be Bond as well. When I say that I don’t want Pattinson to be Bond, I mean that in terms of his stardom, not in terms of his acting abilities. I think he’ll be a fantastic Bond if he is cast. I’m not even saying that I’ll be disappointed if he does get cast. I’d want somebody else and not somebody who is already a super big, well-known, and established actor like Pattinson. Especially when he’s at his peak right now in 2026. Where he’s in The Odyssey that made $1.8 billion. He could get an Oscar nomination for Primetime, which would be cool. He’s going to be in Dune: Part III, which is part of this DUNESday event, and that movie is also going ot make a ton of money. Two others to keep in mind that I’ve been hearing people talk about. First up, Pattinson is now 40 years old; is he too old to START play Bond? This is a fair question, and I don’t think his age is a big issue. As a point of reference, Daniel Craig was 38 years old when Casino Royale came out. He’s two years younger than Pattinson is now. I think having an older Bond fits Craig’s take on the character. They explored this idea of an older and aging Bond, and I like what they did with him in his 15 years. Pattinson’s age doesn’t really bother me too much. Second, what does this mean for his future as Batman? We know The Batman: Part II is coming, and it’ll likely happen in February 2028. Will Pattinson be Batman beyond that? I don’t know. I’m very curious as to what his future as Batman will be if he gets Bond. There’s so much to unpack when it comes to Pattinson as bond, so many conflicting feelings about him.
Nicholas Hoult: This is kind of a funny one because, if you don’t remember this. Hoult auditioned for Batman back in 2019, and obviously he didn’t get the role. Who did he lose to? Well, he lost to Robert Pattinson. If Pattinson does end up being cast as Bond, this’ll be the second time Hoult has lost a big major franchise role to Pattinson. I would feel bad for Hoult if that’s the case. Hoult’s another complicated one because he is a name who’s been in both X-Men and Superman, and he’s currently our Lex Luthor and is going to be in Man of Tomorrow next summer. He’s been in major superhero franchises, but he’s never been the lead of a big movie. That’s why I wouldn’t be too mad if Hoult were to be cast as Bond. Yes, he did play, and he is playing Lex Luthor. But for whatever reason, that doesn’t bother me as much. I really like Hoult as an actor in everything that I’ve seen him in, and excited for his next movie, How to Rob A Bank this weekend. I want him to be the lead in a big franchise. I think he has the acting chops to pull off Bond; this’ll finally allow him to lead a major franchise that’ll probably last a decade plus with multiple movies. I think he could be a good James Bond, and I would be ok with it despite him being in multiple big franchises.
Josh O’Connor: This is a guy who’s sort of been an up-and-coming actor over the last few years. The one that really put him on the map for me was Challengers, which was one of my favorite movies of 2024. He was a standout in that movie, which had three great performances. He was in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery last year, where he stole the show from Craig. He was in Disclosure Day, which wasn’t a standout performance, and I think the movie as a whole was flawed, but he was good in the movie. He’s a great actor who’s gotten awards success with being on The Crown. With that said, I don’t see him as Bond. He’s a great actor, but I don’t think he has the looks to be Bond. He doesn’t give off this suave energy that is required to be Bond, and from what I’ve seen from him, I don’t see him in this role. Maybe I haven’t seen the right role from him, and maybe there’s one role that, if I watch it, I think he’ll be perfect for. But as of right now, given the situation and the roles I’ve seen him in, I don’t think he’s a fit for Bond. He’s also more of a skinnier build; I’m sure if he hits the gym, he could bulk up. But right now, with the shape that he’s in, he seems too skinny to be Bond. This is another one that I don’t really see at all. He is British, and he’s an upcoming actor, so I get why he screen-tested and why he was considered; I don’t know if I see it.
Callum Turner: If Pattinson is an example of a guy that I don’t want to be Bond because he’s too big and too famous, Turner is sort of the opposite of that. He’s not a super well-known actor; he hasn’t been a part of a major franchise yet. So the idea of him being Bond, I don’t mind. I’ve seen a lot of people on the internet not like this casting, and I’ve seen him in a few movies over the years and I like him well enough. He’s not one of my favorite actors of his generation, but I don’t hate him either. I think he does have the look to be 007; he is 6’2 so he is a big guy. In the movies that I’ve seen him in, I haven’t gotten a 007 vibe from him. The roles that I most associate him with are Eternity and One Night Only; both of those movies are rom-coms. In those movies, he does have to be the charming leading man, and I think he does that well enough. With that said, I don’t know if he has that swagger to be 007 because him playing a generic rom-com lead and 007 aren’t the same thing. If he does get cast, I wouldn’t hate the idea, but if he doesn’t get cast, I wouldn’t hate it either.
Jack Lowden: For disclosure, before I start talking about him. I haven’t seen him in anything. I haven’t seen one movie or TV show with him in it, so I can’t really comment much about his acting abilities. He is on Slow Horses, which is a show my parents love, and he’s acting opposite Gary Oldman, who’s of course a legend. But without me having seen him in anything, I can’t really comment on whether he’d be a good fit for the character or not. He is 6’1, so that’s a good height for Bond, and he does have the look to be Bond. From everything that I’ve heard about him, he seems like a great actor, so maybe he’ll be a great fit, but without having seen anything, I don’t know.
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