The biggest casting story of 2026 is no doubt going to be who is chosen to be the next James Bond. With Denis Villeneuve having wrapped Dune: Part Three, his 007 movie is set to start shooting sometime next year, and all eyes are on who gets to don the secret agent’s tux, especially with this being the first Bond movie made without Barbara Broccoli involved. While Amazon/MGM has been keeping mum over who’s going to be the next James Bond, a handful of actors have been consistently pegged as frontrunners, including Slow Horses star Jack Lowden.
Now, Gary Oldman, his co-star on the series, is saying that the next 007 has already been chosen — and that the studio just hasn’t announced it publicly yet. While he says he doesn’t know who they’ve chosen, his vote goes to Lowden, with him telling THR, “It’s been rumored that [Lowden] is on the shortlist…we’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack.”
While it’s possible Oldman is just acting on a hunch, it stands to reason that Amazon has chosen 007 and is just keeping mum. There are actually good reasons for this. Villeneuve is about to launch a press tour for Dune: Part Three, and if they announce 007 before the tour, he will be inundated with questions that could overshadow the film. My theory is they will announce the 007 actor just before New Year’s Eve — probably sometime during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
As to who it will be, Lowden certainly makes sense. At thirty-six, he’s pretty close to the age Daniel Craig was when he started as Bond in Casino Royale. While many believe they will go super young for the next 007, it’s hard to launch a billion-dollar franchise on the back of an actor in their twenties. Many think it could be Jacob Elordi, but would he want to be pinned down to a franchise that will forever define his career?
Lowden is a solid choice, as he’s known but also not a household name, which is similar to how Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig were perceived when they were cast as Bond. Going with a complete unknown is a gamble. It paid off with Sean Connery back in 1962, but that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and when they had to recast the role, choosing an unknown backfired when they chose George Lazenby. When Roger Moore took over the role, he was already well known for TV’s The Saint, and even Timothy Dalton, in the eighties, had had a long career by the time he slipped into 007’s tux.
Then again, who really knows? Anyone could be Bond at this point, but personally, I would put my bet on either Lowden or Jack O’Connell, who, to me, has the ruthlessness that could really redefine the part for a new generation. Only time will tell!
In the meantime, how about casting Oldman as M? Or heck, even Q? Oldman would be an awesome Q.