Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult have screen-tested to play James Bond in Amazon’s next 007 film, according to reports published on November 6 and 7 by Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The two British actors are among a small group of finalists who tested for director Denis Villeneuve in the closing weeks of October.
What We Know
Deadline reports that the final round of screen tests took place at the end of October and involved no more than five actors. Alongside Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, the outlet names Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor and Callum Turner as part of the final group. Those tests had originally been planned for early October but were pushed back because of scheduling conflicts.
The names emerged gradually. The Hollywood Reporter first said in its newsletter that two “notable and established” actors had tested without naming them, before Pattinson and Hoult were identified. Variety published a similar report and added that Harry Styles has had conversations about the role, while Theo James has not been ruled out.
Amazon, which now controls the creative direction of the franchise, could not be reached for comment, according to Deadline. None of the actors has publicly addressed the reports, so the list should be treated as the state of the search rather than a final shortlist confirmed by the studio.
Background
The search for Daniel Craig’s successor has been one of Hollywood’s most closely watched casting stories since Amazon MGM took creative control of Bond. Villeneuve, the filmmaker behind Arrival and the Dune films, was hired to direct, with Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight writing the script. Casting director Nina Gold joined the project in the spring, and first-round auditions were held in August before the field was narrowed in September.
Pattinson is perhaps the most surprising name on the list. He already plays Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ Batman films, with The Batman Part II still ahead of him, and he has spent recent years working with directors such as Christopher Nolan, Robert Eggers and the Safdie brothers. He also appears in Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, which gives him an existing working relationship with the Bond director.
Hoult’s link to Pattinson goes back years: he was widely reported as the runner-up when Pattinson won the role of Batman. Since then Hoult has played Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman and taken leading roles in films including Nosferatu and Juror #2.
Turner has long been treated as a frontrunner by fans and bookmakers, and earlier this week former 007 Pierce Brosnan publicly backed him for the part, as we reported here. O’Connor, known for The Crown and Challengers, and Lowden, who stars in Slow Horses, round out a group that is notably British and largely in its thirties.
What’s Next
According to Deadline’s sources, a decision is expected by the end of November, possibly before Thanksgiving, although no firm date has been set. Amazon has not announced a production start or a release date for the film, and it is likely to keep quiet until it is ready to unveil its new Bond officially.
Until then, the reports mark the clearest picture yet of how the studio is thinking: established leading men with blockbuster experience are now firmly in the mix next to the younger names fans had been betting on.
Sources
- Deadline – Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult Round Out ‘James Bond’ Screen Tests
- Variety – James Bond Casting: Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult Tested for 007
- Men’s Journal – summary of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Variety reports