Who's Really Up for 007? The Bond 26 Casting Rumors, Sorted
Nearly five years after Daniel Craig left the franchise in No Time to Die, we still don't have a new James Bond — but the search has officially begun.
In May 2026, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that auditions are underway. No release date yet, but a premiere before 2028 is considered unlikely. The rumor mill has been churning for years, and at this point it's hard to tell real contenders from wishful thinking. Here's what we actually know — name by name.
The confirmed creative team
Before we get to the actors — a quick look at who's already locked in:
- Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) — directing.
- Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) — writing the screenplay.
- Amy Pascal and David Heyman — producing.
- Nina Gold (Game of Thrones, The Crown, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) — casting director. She also helped champion Daniel Craig for the role back in the day.
No title, no start date, no confirmed cast. Everything below is rumor, speculation, and betting market tea leaves.
Callum Turner — the betting favorite
Turner, 35, has been the frontrunner in prediction markets for months. British, solid resume — Masters of the Air, The Boys in the Boat, Fantastic Beasts. His engagement to Dua Lipa keeps him in the tabloids, and the couple was photographed vacationing at Ian Fleming's GoldenEye estate in Jamaica in late 2025 — the actual house where Fleming wrote the Bond novels. Hard to call that a coincidence. Or maybe it's exactly that.
At the Berlin Film Festival in February 2026, a reporter asked Turner directly about Bond. His answer: "It's very early for that question. I'm not going to comment on it, thank you." His co-star Tracy Letts jumped in and joked that he was the next 007.
Turner currently sits at around 40% on Polymarket and leads most bookmaker odds. That's a serious number — but prediction markets and actual casting decisions don't always align.
Tom Francis — the dark horse
This is the name nobody expected. Francis is 26, British, and primarily a stage actor — he won a Laurence Olivier Award and earned a Tony nomination for playing Joe Gillis in Jamie Lloyd's revival of Sunset Boulevard, opposite Nicole Scherzinger. On screen, his credits are thin: a small role in Jay Kelly (produced by Pascal and Heyman — the same people now producing Bond), four episodes of Netflix's You, and the upcoming WWII drama The Mosquito Bowl.
According to Variety, Francis is the first actor confirmed to have actually auditioned for Bond 26. That doesn't mean he's getting it — it means the process is real and he was among the first through the door.
Here's the thing. Nina Gold helped champion Daniel Craig for the role years ago — and Craig was also largely a theatre actor at the time, not a household name. If Gold is running the search again, it makes sense she'd be looking for the same kind of raw material.
Jacob Elordi — the studio's reported pick
Elordi, 28, Australian — which apparently isn't a deal-breaker despite the usual "British or bust" tradition. He's been on Amazon's radar since mid-2025, when Variety reported that he, Tom Holland, and Harris Dickinson topped the studio's initial wishlist. Resume: Euphoria, the Oscar-nominated Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights. At 6'5", he'd be the tallest Bond in franchise history.
In May 2026, gossip account Deuxmoi claimed that Amazon had offered Elordi the role and that filming starts in October. Neither claim has been confirmed by the studio, the actor, or anyone in an official capacity.
Harris Dickinson — the quiet contender
Dickinson, 29, East London. The one who keeps showing up on every list without generating the loudest headlines. Resume: Beach Rats, Triangle of Sadness, The King's Man, Babygirl. He directed his first feature — Urchin — which won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2025. He's also set to play John Lennon in Sam Mendes's upcoming Beatles biopics, which could complicate his availability.
Bond producers have historically loved this type: young enough to anchor a decade of films, serious enough to bring depth, not yet defined by a single franchise role. The Beatles commitment is the main question mark.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson — the one who almost had it
The name that's been floating around the longest. Back in 2024, some outlets reported — prematurely — that Taylor-Johnson had already been cast. He became an Omega ambassador (the watch brand most associated with Bond), screen-tested, met with producers. Everything pointed in his direction.
Then it fizzled. Taylor-Johnson is 35 now. Amazon reportedly wants someone under 30 who can carry the franchise for a decade-plus. His odds have been gradually declining in betting markets throughout 2026. Still in the conversation — but the momentum has moved elsewhere.
Damson Idris — the wildcard
Idris, 34, British-Nigerian. Best known for Snowfall and his role in F1 alongside Brad Pitt — a film that earned a Best Picture nomination. Prada brand ambassador. Has a forthcoming Miles Davis biopic that could show even more range.
Whether the franchise is ready to cast a Black actor as Bond is a separate conversation. Idris Elba was the subject of the same speculation for years — nothing came of it. Damson Idris is a generation younger and a different proposition, but the question will follow him regardless.
Who's been ruled out
A few names to stop hoping for:
- Idris Elba and Henry Cavill — too old for the direction Amazon is going.
- Tom Holland — was on the initial Variety shortlist, but too closely associated with Spider-Man for most people to take it seriously.
- Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) — his representative flatly denied the audition rumors.
- Taron Egerton — took himself out, telling interviewers: "I'm not a good choice for it. I think I'm too messy for that."
What to expect
The script isn't finished. Villeneuve still needs to complete Dune: Part Three before he's fully on board. Amazon's head of film, Courtenay Valenti, told CinemaCon 2026 they're "taking the time to do this with care and deep respect." Filming likely won't start until late 2026 or early 2027.
History offers one useful pattern: almost every actor who was publicly tipped as the "next Bond" during the rumor phase ended up not getting the role. Craig, Brosnan, Dalton — none were the frontrunner when the speculation was at full speed. The person who actually gets cast tends to come from slightly left field.
Right now, Turner has the most momentum. Francis signals an unexpected direction. Elordi is the studio's apparent preference. And somewhere, Nina Gold is probably watching audition tapes of someone whose name hasn't leaked yet. That's usually how it goes with Bond.