Callum Turner, Jack Lowden reportedly finalists to play the next James Bond
Diamonds are forever, but James Bond actors come and go — and the time has come for a new 007 to take up the mantle.
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007 → play → 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.
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tests → choose → Reporter
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.
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Reporter → rumour → 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.
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it → reveal → 2021
When asked by CBC if screen tests were occurring this weekend, Amazon declined to comment.
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Amazon → ask → CBC
In a previous statement, Amazon confirmed that it was already searching for the next Bond.
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it → confirm → 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.
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statement → plan → fans
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.
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Craig → give → role
Craig portrayed Bond in five films, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale and ending with No Time to Die.
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Craig → portray → Time
CBC News has reached out to representatives for Turner and Lowden.
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News → reach → Turner
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.
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Turner → know → Angeles
Turner has previously demurred when asked about Bond rumours.
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Turner → demur → 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.
"
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he → know → 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!"
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you → tell → 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.
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Lowden → comment → 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."
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that → tell → house
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.
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he → know → Bond
Josh O’Connor, of Challengers fame, has also been raised as a potential candidate duking it out for the role this weekend.
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O’Connor → raise → role
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.
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name → have → martini
Dune director to helm film
Canadian Denis Villeneuve, known for the wildly successful Dune franchise, has been tapped to direct the film.
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Villeneuve → helm → film
Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are jointly managing the reboot.
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Pascal → manage → 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.
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Bond → say → year
British screenwriter Steven Knight, creator of the BAFTA-winning television series Peaky Blinders, is writing the script.
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Knight → win → script
Previous casting of Bond films has propelled the careers of lesser known actors.
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casting → propel → actors
A young Henry Cavill was in the running for Bond in the 2000s before the relatively unknown Craig snagged the role.
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Craig → snag → role
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.
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that → play → 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."
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whiteness → hold → 30s
Amazon MGM bought out the creative rights for the Bond franchise from the Broccoli family in February 2025.
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MGM → buy → February
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