The Hunt for the Next Bond Heats Up – Lots of Names, Few Facts
The screenwriter is dodging the question. Gary Oldman has backtracked. A former 007 has no idea. The search for the new Bond is nearing its end – but a lot of the reports deserve a healthy dose of scepticism.
By Philip Dethlefs
Who will be the next James Bond? Fans, the media and the bookies have been asking that question for years. Now the search finally seems to be on the home straight. A first draft of the script is done, and producer Amy Pascal expects the seventh actor to play 007 to be in place before the end of the year. Whether it will be one of the names currently doing the rounds is another matter.
First Draft of the Script Apparently Done
Denis Villeneuve (Dune) was confirmed a long time ago as director of the first Bond film since Amazon took over the franchise. The script is being written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who also came up with the new Oasis film – which is why he’s been doing a lot of interviews lately.
When Zoe Ball asked him on Greatest Hits Radio whether the first draft of the Bond script was finished, Knight said: “I’m nodding silently.” Before that, BBC presenters had tried to get him to say whether he knew who the new Bond is. Knight neatly sidestepped the question, but reports soon followed claiming the decision had been made.
Gary Oldman made headlines with an interview in which he said he’d heard the next 007 had been chosen – and hinted it could be his Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden. He later clarified that he doesn’t know who it will be. He’s just hoping it’s Lowden.
Casting director Nina Gold, whose credits include several Star Wars films and The Crown, has been tasked with finding the right actor – ideally young, British and able to play the famous secret agent for many years to come. That describes 36-year-old Lowden. It also describes countless others.
Plenty of Names, for Years
Even before Daniel Craig’s final mission in No Time to Die (2021), names were flying around. Some were even reported as done deals. In 2022, the notorious tabloid The Sun claimed that the famous opening sequence, where 007 shoots at the camera, had already been filmed with Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It was made up.
The paper cited so-called insiders who, conveniently, stayed anonymous. And so, week after week, every outlet quotes its own insiders and puts out new rumours that bring in clicks and spread like wildfire – including in the serious press. On top of that, bookmakers make headlines with their odds on who’ll get the part.
Presumably the odd publicist gives things a little nudge too, getting a client’s name into the mix. Being tipped as the next James Bond brings a huge amount of media attention.
Decision by the End of the Year
The latest reports of a six-name “shortlist” read like a round-up of the past few years’ speculation. It’s fair to assume that a lot of outlets simply copy the rumours from each other without checking them, and so they take on a life of their own.
The only name on the list that makes you sit up is the relatively unknown Jack Barton, whom Page Six names as the frontrunner. Industry insider Jeff Sneider, however, believes Barton’s name was put out on purpose to distract from the real favourites – or to test how the public reacts.
According to Matthew Belloni, all the names so far are bogus and the decision is still open. The former editor of The Hollywood Reporter wrote in his media newsletter for Puck that test deals are currently going out to candidates before they’re invited to screen tests. Deals like these pin down the basics – fee, options on further films, availability and future commitments. They’re the legal groundwork, so nothing has to be renegotiated once 007 has been chosen.
Brosnan Wishes the New 007 All the Best
Incidentally, Daniel Craig’s name first came up in connection with James Bond back in 2004. He did screen tests in July and September 2005 – among the others testing was future Superman Henry Cavill. In October 2005, Craig was officially unveiled as the sixth James Bond. By then, 72 names had reportedly been in the frame, according to the official James Bond Facebook page.
His predecessor Pierce Brosnan actually got the part back in 1986 but had to give it up because of his contract on the TV series Remington Steele. He got a second chance in 1994. Like Craig, Brosnan still gets asked about Bond all the time. “I have no idea,” he said at the premiere of his gangster series MobLand. “I’m looking forward to seeing the man. And I wish him all the best.”
Translated from German with AI (Claude by Anthropic).
