James Bond screen tests reportedly happening in London this weekend
Diamonds are forever, but James Bond actors come and go — and the time has come to pick the next 007. Screen tests to choose the star of Amazon MGM's upcoming Bond film are reportedly occurring in London this weekend. Two of the rumoured finalists are Callum Turner and Jack Lowden.
Callum Turner, Jack Lowden reportedly finalists to play the next James Bond
Alexandra Mae Jones · CBC News
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Diamonds are forever, but James Bond actors come and go — and the time has come for a new 007 to take up the mantle.
Screen tests to choose the star for Amazon MGM’s upcoming Bond film are reportedly occurring in London this weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
Two of the rumoured finalists to become the next Bond are Callum Turner, star of the rom-com One Night Only, and Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden, The Hollywood Reporter said, citing several sources.
No release date has been revealed for the upcoming film, but it will be the 26th official title in the 64-year-old franchise, and the first since 2021.
When asked by CBC if screen tests were occurring this weekend, Amazon declined to comment. In a previous statement, Amazon confirmed that it was already searching for the next Bond.
“While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right,” the May statement reads.
Although the spy’s traditional designation of 007 has been given to other characters before, with Lashana Lynch being the first Black woman 007 in the 2021 film No Time to Die, the role of James Bond himself has not been subject to a casting process since Daniel Craig got the role 20 years ago.
WATCH | See Turner in action in One Night Only trailer:
Craig portrayed Bond in five films, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale and ending with No Time to Die.
CBC News has reached out to representatives for Turner and Lowden.
Licence to… cast?
Both men are perhaps currently better known for their famous wives — Turner tied the knot with singer Dua Lipa last spring, and Lowden has been married to actress Saoirse Ronan since 2024 — but landing one of the most-coveted male roles in film history could change that.
Turner and his wife, singer Dua Lipa, arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March 2026 in Los Angeles. (Evan Agostini/Invision/The Associated Press)
Turner has previously demurred when asked about Bond rumours.
"I know as much as you do — really, I know as much as you do," he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview in June.
"I'll tell you what’s so funny about the Bond thing: Even your best friends ask you, people text you that you haven’t spoken to for 10 years — and you know nothing!"
Lowden hasn't commented, but his Slow Horses costar Gary Oldman hinted in an interview with Global News that Lowden was on the short list. Ronan told The Associated Press earlier this month that Lowden potentially being Bond "is not really a subject that's coming up in our house to be honest."
Jack Lowden may be lesser known than his wife, Saoirse Ronan, seen at the Britain Independent Film Awards in December 2024 in London, but that could change if he is cast as James Bond. (Thomas Krych/Invision/The Associated Press)
Josh O’Connor, of Challengers fame, has also been raised as a potential candidate duking it out for the role this weekend. But which actor will have the gravitas to look coolly over the edge of a martini (shaken, not stirred) and say, "The name's Bond. James Bond," remains to be seen.
Dune director to helm film
Canadian Denis Villeneuve, known for the wildly successful Dune franchise, has been tapped to direct the film. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are jointly managing the reboot. Pascal said in an interview with Deadline in August that "the end of the year is a good bet," for when we'll know who the new James Bond is.
WATCH | See Lowden in action in Slow Horses:
British screenwriter Steven Knight, creator of the BAFTA-winning television series Peaky Blinders, is writing the script.
Previous casting of Bond films has propelled the careers of lesser known actors. A young Henry Cavill was in the running for Bond in the 2000s before the relatively unknown Craig snagged the role.
WATCH | Henry Cavill's 2005 screen test for James Bond:
Since Craig's turn in the role, there have been calls for the next Bond to be played by a person of colour, but although names such as Damson Idris, Dev Patel and Regé-Jean Page had been floated earlier, that no longer seems to be in the cards.
Producer Barbara Broccoli, who formerly held the rights to the franchise, said in a 2024 interview with The Associated Press that while the next Bond would likely be a man in his 30s, "whiteness is not a given."
Amazon MGM bought out the creative rights for the Bond franchise from the Broccoli family in February 2025.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexandra Mae Jones is a senior writer for CBC News based in Toronto. She has written on a variety of topics, from health to pop culture to breaking news, and previously reported for CTV News and the Toronto Star. She joined CBC in 2024. You can reach her at alexandra.mae.jones@cbc.ca
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