For James Bond fans, one question has become an all-consuming obsession: who will be the next 007?
Even the most dedicated armchair spies will have realised by now that, although clues appear to be everywhere, they seem to lead absolutely nowhere.
Several actors have emerged as supposedly certain frontrunners, only to be replaced by fresh speculation about who is auditioning. Rarely has the notoriously gossip-driven entertainment world witnessed a secret so carefully guarded.
The Mail on Sunday can now reveal the extraordinary lengths producers have taken to protect their operation. Amazon MGM Studios has created a security effort worthy of M, determined to ensure that not a word—or a photograph—of Daniel Craig’s successor escapes.
Insiders have described the astonishing secrecy surrounding the auditions and explained how far Bond’s new owners are prepared to go as they search for the actor who will inherit one of cinema’s most prestigious roles and spend the next decade portraying the world’s most famous spy.
The Bond franchise, owned by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson for 30 years, was sold to streaming giant Amazon in February last year for a reported $1 billion. Since then, seemingly every young leading man has been linked to the role. The shortlist at the end of last month included Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Josh O’Connor (The Crown) and a mysterious ‘fourth man’, whose identity is discussed later.
Callum Turner and Jack Lowden have both auditioned to play Bond
The Crown actor Josh O’Connor is thought to be in contention for the role of 007
Black Mercedes limousines transported the hopefuls through the main gates of Bray Studios in Berkshire, now owned by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, a lifelong 007 fan. The sprawling complex includes vast hangars, office space and the 18th-century country house Down Place. Nestled between an A-road, the Thames and surrounding fields, it is well shielded from prying eyes.
One source said: ‘There was a section of the studio that only people with special passes could enter. Inside that restricted area was a safe room. Anyone going in had to leave their bags and mobile phones outside.
‘The audition scripts contained scenes from earlier Bond films and were printed in special red ink that could not be copied or photographed. Every script carried a unique watermark. There were more security guards than I have ever seen before.’
Using red ink even for scripts that are freely available online demonstrates just how determined the team is to ensure that nothing gets out.
When Turner arrived at Bray three Saturdays ago in torrential rain, fans and photographers hoping to see the 36-year-old were thwarted by an array of high-tech security measures.
One photographer said: ‘Normally, a professional camera lens can see through a windscreen, but the glass had been treated. You see similar vehicles outside places such as Downing Street.
‘Just before the car departed, two security guards drove to the entrance in a Bond-style golf buggy and stood in the pouring rain as the vehicle swept through. There was a great deal of discreet conversation over walkie-talkies.’
The photographer added that ‘the studio had increased security by putting covers over the gates to prevent anyone from seeing in’.
Inside the audition safe room was the elite team responsible for choosing the new 007, who is expected to begin filming ‘Bond 26’ next spring.
Production is expected to last nine months, with the film scheduled to open in cinemas around the world in November 2028. The wait between Bond 26 and Craig’s final film, No Time To Die, released in 2021, is the longest gap between entries in the franchise’s history.
Auditions took place at Bray Studios in Berkshire, now owned by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos
The cars’ windows were so dark that photographers could not identify anyone inside
Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, whose next film Dune: Part Three is expected to dominate the Christmas box office when it opens next month, sat alongside British casting director Nina Gold and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman. Writer Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders, was also present.
A two-person camera and sound team recorded the auditions. The footage was then flown by private jet to Hollywood for Bezos and Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, to assess.
Sending even an encrypted version of the screen tests online was considered ‘too risky’ because of the possibility of a hack.
Gold is highly regarded in Hollywood for her ‘exceptional eye’ for identifying talent early and helping turn actors into global stars. She did so with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
She also cast the first three seasons of The Crown and helped assemble the huge cast of Game Of Thrones, which made stars of Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Sophie Turner.
A studio source said the Bond candidates were assessed for ‘camera presence and dialogue’. They read scenes from previous films, including Casino Royale, GoldenEye and From Russia With Love.
Separately, the actors were asked to enter and leave through a fake door and ‘perform a stunt’. Precisely what that involved remains unclear ‘because so few people know about it’.
The source said: ‘The actors were given plenty of screen time. Everyone understands how important it is to get this right. Whoever wins the role will become part of cinematic history. Everyone is speculating about who has been chosen, but in reality only a handful of people know. The rest of us will find out when Amazon issues a statement, which is expected before the end of the year.’
Casting director Debbie McWilliams worked on every Bond film from 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, starring Roger Moore, until her retirement after No Time To Die, in which Craig’s Bond was killed in a hail of missile fire.
Speaking to 007.com about casting Bond, she said: ‘They either have it or they don’t. It really is that simple. They need the confidence that comes from knowing who they are. Daniel Craig exceeded my expectations. He has been brilliant.
‘There is hardly an actor in the world who would turn down a part in a James Bond film. The first requirement is that you must be a brilliant actor.’
The current auditions appear to follow McWilliams’s approach, as she previously said she would ask candidates to perform a scene from an earlier film. ‘I never used the script that was going to be shot,’ she said.
The new Bond screenplay is understood to remain a work in progress. Even if it were complete, however, the casting team would not risk using it in auditions because of the danger of a leak.
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‘The last time we auditioned, we screen-tested quite a few people. Choosing someone to play Bond is an enormous decision and cannot be taken lightly because so much is riding on it,’ McWilliams said.
‘It is extraordinary how everything changes when they put on the suit, have the haircut and are put through their paces. You put on the clothes and become something else—that is the magic. It requires acting ability, as well as the ability to be physical.
‘Ultimately, you have to be the full package.’
Unlike the current cloak-and-dagger process, audition footage featuring previous Bond hopefuls is widely available on YouTube.
Several of those unsuccessful candidates would later become household names.
When Roger Moore suggested he might retire after 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, American actor James Brolin, now married to Barbra Streisand, auditioned with a questionable English accent. He came close to securing the role, but Moore ultimately agreed to return.
New Zealander Sam Neill auditioned in 1986 after Moore finally stepped down, but the part went to Timothy Dalton.
Rupert Friend was only 23 when he auditioned for Bond in 2005 and was rejected. He soon secured a role in Pride & Prejudice and later played a CIA agent in the hit espionage series Homeland.
Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney have been mentioned as possible Bond girls
That same year, Australian actor Sam Worthington also tested for the role, later admitting that he had been ‘struggling with the suave stuff’. He did not become 007, but James Cameron’s epic Avatar turned him into a global star four years later.
The Amazon source insists the next 007 will be British. They said: ‘That is something Jeff Bezos has insisted on.
‘James Bond is British and always will be. Jeff’s favourite Bond is Sean Connery, which is why [Scottish actor] Jack Lowden has been a frontrunner for so long.’
The picture has recently shifted, however. Callum Turner has moved from second favourite—behind Slow Horses star Lowden in betting polls—to the leading position. As Katie Hind reported in this newspaper last week, Turner and his pop-star wife Dua Lipa are regarded as a ‘power couple’ who could generate enormous social-media attention if he becomes Bond and she performs the theme song.
The Amazon source said: ‘With Callum and Dua, you get a two-for-one package, and that is extremely tempting.’
Josh O’Connor, known for The Crown, is reportedly in third place. However, The Sun reported last week that an unnamed co-star in one of his plays drunkenly claimed O’Connor had ‘confessed to getting the Bond role’.
Last week, the Mail on Sunday reported widespread industry speculation that Australian actor Jacob Elordi was the mystery ‘fourth man’ who joined the auditions at the last minute.
That claim came as news to a sailing club on England’s south coast, which says one of its former members was actually the secret auditionee.
Sources at the club identified the dark-horse contender as Jack Barton, 31, known for Heartstopper and SAS: Rogue Heroes.
A source said: ‘Jack used to be a member of the club and remains in contact with some of our members. The word is that Jack is the fourth man. It is all anyone is talking about at the club.’
As if the list of possibilities were not already confusing enough, two further names have now been added to the Bond speculation.
On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Robert Pattinson, star of The Batman, screen-tested for the role last month.
The publication also mentioned Nicholas Hoult, known for X-Men: First Class. Both actors have worked with director Denis Villeneuve.
Other sources have told the Mail that producers are making offers to potential Bond girls, with Euphoria stars Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya reportedly in contention.
One source said: ‘It appears Sydney Sweeney will be a Bond girl unless the role clashes with her schedule. The new Bond is expected to be younger because everyone wants to make multiple films. Zendaya is another name gathering significant momentum as a Bond girl.’
Perhaps the most surprising revelation of the past week is the possibility that ‘uber fan’ Bezos could make a brief on-screen appearance as a villain.
The Amazon source said: ‘Do not rule it out. There have been plenty of jokes since Amazon acquired the rights to Bond, with people saying Jeff resembles a real-life Bond villain.
‘Someone even created an image of him as Blofeld stroking a white cat, and he thought it was hilarious.’
It would not be the first time a celebrity has accepted a cameo in a Bond film.
Madonna played a fencing instructor named ‘Verity’ in Die Another Day, for which she also recorded the theme song. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson appeared as a passenger being searched at Miami Airport in Casino Royale.
Some fans fear Amazon could take Bond in the direction of Star Wars, with numerous spin-off series and low-quality television shows.
But the Amazon insider said: ‘The team we have assembled to take Bond forward is second to none. We are confident that we can carry this iconic character forward for many generations.
‘We are very close to announcing the identity of the next Bond, and he is in extremely safe hands.’
