The Final Contenders For The Next James Bond, Ranked

Updated  Nov 9, 2026, 9:46 AM EST

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

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The final candidates to play the next James Bond have been revealed, and based on that list, it is easier to see who might be the best contender for the role. Daniel Craig was the latest actor to lead the James Bond movie franchise, starring in five movies as 007. His tenure in the role ended with 2021's No Time to Die.

Now, the biggest spy thriller franchise is set to return soon, with Dune franchise director Denis Villeneuve charged with bringing the next James Bond movie together. The film's script is being written by Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight. As such, the James Bond creative team mixes a director that understands projects with a huge scope, and a writer who is all about gritty, grounded crime stories.

Since Craig left the role, several actors have been rumored for the next James Bond. Deadline reported that screen tests for the new 007 were expected to begin as early as Friday, October 23, with the search for Craig's replacement almost over. Four finalists were expected to test, including Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor, and a mysterious fourth actor.

The identity of that fourth James Bond candidate initially remained a mystery, with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that the actor in question was not Sinners' Jack O’Connell, nor Euphoria star Jacob Elordi, despite other reports tying the latter to the Bond search. More recently, on November 6, THR revealed that rather than four finalists for the role of James Bond, there were five actors, with The Batman's Robert Pattinson and Superman's Nicholas Hoult also testing for the spy role. Based on that, these are the reported James Bond finalists, ranked by who would be the best Daniel Craig replacement.

5 Josh O’Connor

© Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

First up is Josh O’Connor. While the star is easily one of the best on the list as far as acting range goes, O’Connor has yet to show in any of his roles that he could bring the suave energy needed for James Bond. The closest he got to that was in the excellent Challengers, where, yes, he was magnetic, but that performance did not immediately translate into action star.

I feel like O’Connor could be the James Bond to pick if Villeneuve were to go towards the opposite of the 007 spectrum compared to Craig's take on the character. O’Connor would be great to bring back an earlier take on Bond, more cerebral than action-forward. That said, it seems like Villeneuve's sensibilities are more in line with Craig's version of the character.

4 Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult is one of the most well-known stars on the list, and his experience on high-profile projects over the years props him up as someone who could carry the Bond legacy. After all, Hoult has starred in movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, James Gunn's Superman, multiple X-Men movies, and more. He has great acting range, turning up the charisma when needed, a must for Bond, though Hoult tends to fit villain types and more eccentric or unhinged characters.

As such, I believe Hoult might be the best choice on the list to play the first main villain of this new era of James Bond movies, not the spy himself. That said, it would surely be interesting to see what kind of Bond Hoult could bring to life, based on how colorful his career has proven itself thus far. The fact that the actor also got close to playing massive roles like DC's Batman and Superman, being the runner-up to both actors cast for those characters, shows Hoult could bring the necessary energy to Bond.

3 Callum Turner

Callum Turner appears right in the middle, being perhaps the best fit if the next James Bond movie is to continue with the same grittiness of Craig's version. Turner comes with the right physicality for the role and the suave attitude that just screams Bond. The actor also has experience with one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, as Turner played a key role in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts, being Newt Scamander's brother, Theseus.

In projects like Apple TV's Masters of the Air, Turner has shown that he has the charisma, focus, and confidence needed for James Bond. The actor also oozed charm in the genre rom-coms Eternity, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, and One Night Only, opposite Monica Barbaro. Talking to BBC Radio 1 in 2021, Villeneuve claimed that his favorite James Bond movies were Craig's Casino Royale and Skyfall, and Turner might be the best fit for that tone. That said, the two actors who rank higher than him on the list just have an edge over Turner in different ways.

2 Robert Pattinson

The moment news broke about Robert Pattinson's status as one of the finalists who screen tested for the role of the next James Bond, the actor instantly shot up to the top of many fans' lists for the role. There is a very good reason for that, as not only is Pattinson the most well-known name among the James Bond candidates, but he is also the best actor in the group, with an impressive acting range that has led to Pattinson delivering unforgettable performances as widely different characters across genres like sci-fi, horror, thriller, and more, including DC's Batman.

In Christopher Nolan's Tenet, Pattinson showed that he has the charm and suave attitude needed for the action-packed, but smooth Bond role. That said, the actor does not rank higher on the list because he is the oldest, at 40, and thus might not be exactly what the studio is looking for as it plans what is expected to be over a decade of Bond movies, as well as how there is another actor who fits the classic James Bond search parameters and already has the expertise in the espionage thriller genre.

1 Jack Lowden

While Turner might be the best pick if the next James Bond actor is chosen as a close follow-up to the persona Craig brought forth as the character, Jack Lowden is the perfect star for the new 007 if Villeneuve ends up choosing to cast a Bond who mixes the early and modern eras of the character. For starters, we know Lowden can not only do action right, but he was born for the spy thriller genre. After all, the actor plays the key role of River Cartwright in Apple TV's Slow Horses.

The show is one of the most popular spy series in recent memory, with six seasons so far and two more confirmed to be on the way. Lowden has played a few sarcastic characters, and Lowden himself is a charming actor that is a fast-talker. Combine that with River's more serious stance and background in action, and Lowden emerges as a James Bond who could be similar to Craig's, while also opening the door for a dash of levity. Additionally, despite his long-running role in Slow Horses, Lowden might just be the most unknown actor among the 007 finalists, which has historically been the go-to for James Bond actors.