I’m starting to get James Bond-rumor-fatigue. How can there still be so much uncertainty around the casting of the new James Bond? Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the new take on 007 next year. Granted, the Broccolis only sold total control of the Bond franchise over to Amazon last year, but I really thought that by November 2026, we would have a firm shortlist of maybe two or three names with no big surprises left. Instead, they’re ADDING names to the Bond stakes. We know that producers have been doing screen tests for the final candidates in recent weeks, but we didn’t know Robert Pattinson was one of the actors being tested. Nor did we know about Nicholas Hoult!!
In a surprise few saw coming, Robert Pattinson has emerged as a contender for 007. The actor, 40, is among those who have screen tested for the role of James Bond, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter, joining hopefuls Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor.
Conventional wisdom has been that the next man to get the license to kill would not be a globally recognized star like Pattinson, one of the biggest actors of his age cohort, and already the face of DC Studios’ Batman franchise. The screen tests are said to have occurred the weekend of Oct. 24. THR previously reported that four, possibly five actors were in the mix but only three names surfaced at the time.
Another name now surfacing as one of the Bond mystery men is Nicholas Hoult, a runnerup to Pattinson for Batman years ago.
Pattinson is a favorite of auteurs from Robert Eggers and the Safdie brothers to Christopher Nolan, whose 2020 spy movie Tenet might feel like a Bond audition in hindsight. And more importantly, he worked with Bond director Denis Villeneuve on the upcoming Dune: Part 3, which bows Dec. 18 and is said to have gone well for the two men.
The actor is in the midst of the biggest year of his career, with a key role in Nolan’s The Odyssey and as the co-lead of A24 hit The Drama and anchoring the well-reguarded movie Primetime, also from A24. He’s currently filming The Batman Part II in London, where screen tests have been taking place.
Yeah, as soon as I heard Pattinson’s name, I thought about Pattinson coming in to play the “big bad” Scytale in Dune 3. Denis does enjoy Pattinson, and I would guess that Denis was the one who asked for Pattinson to be screen-tested. I don’t really see Pattinson as a super-spy, but his potential Bond press would be phenomenal. He would be lying his ass off and hurting himself as he tried to do stunts in real life. Not to mention, he would probably do some wild accent work as Bond too. But everyone’s sort of sleeping on Nicholas Hoult’s entry into the Bond stakes, right? Because he would be so good. Hoult might be my favorite among this shortlist.
Incidentally, Variety says that Theo James hasn’t been ruled out, and that Harry Styles even had some discussions about Bond. Come on… no to both. Also: there’s a rumor going around that Pattinson screen-tested for the next Bond villain, not Bond. Which actually makes so much sense.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- Red carpet of the movie The Drama un segreto e per sempre Robert Pattinson on the red carpet of the movie The Drama un segreto e per sempre at Cinema Adriano. Rome Italy, March 26th, 2026 Imago-Images/Emmefoto Copyright: xImago-,Image: 1086534752, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no , Credit line: Imago-Images/Emmefoto/Avalon
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- Nicholas Hoult at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (98th Annual Academy Awards) Hosted By Mark Guiducci held at the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Blvd on March 15, 2026 in Museum Row, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1083468704, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Nicholas Hoult , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- Nicholas Hoult at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (98th Annual Academy Awards) Hosted By Mark Guiducci held at the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Blvd on March 15, 2026 in Museum Row, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1083468755, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Nicholas Hoult , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Robert Pattinson attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 1083926874, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Robert Pattinson , Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 17: Robert Pattinson wearing Dior Men arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of A24’s ‘The Drama’ held at the DGA Theater Complex at The Directors Guild of America on March 17, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1084421287, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Robert Pattinson , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM Actor Nicholas Hoult made a fashion-forward appearance in London as he stepped out in a sophisticated brown ensemble by Prada, effortlessly blending classic tailoring with modern edge. Adding a touch of understated luxury, he paired the look with a sleek black holdall from Bottega Veneta. The Superman star is currently in town promoting the highly anticipated release, in which he takes on the iconic role of Lex Luthor. Pictured: Nicholas Hoult BACKGRID USA 2 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Mattpapz / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE Celebrities and fashion figures attended the photocall for the Dior Homme Men’s Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show at Paris Fashion Week, striking stylish poses ahead of the highly anticipated runway presentation. Pictured: Robert Pattinson BACKGRID USA 21 JANUARY 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Nicholas Hoult on a press tour for ‘Superman’ Featuring: Nicholas Hoult Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 29 Jun 2025 Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
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- ‘Primetime’ screening during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande Featuring: Robert Pattinson Where: Venice, Italy When: 05 Sep 2026 Credit: Simone Comi/IPA/INSTARimages **UK, USA AND AUSTRALIA RIGHTS ONLY**
This whole thing is giving me the impression the casting team have zero idea who to cast and are basically gathering public opinion to make the decision for them.
This exactly!! Just make a choice and be done with it! I don’t know how I feel about a younger man playing Bond, in the past all Bonds were “older” men who have been in service for a while and built the skills to be a 007, I don’t know if a “youngster” would give that character the same gravitas and world weariness.
I agree on someone a tad older. Someone on here said Aidan Turner recently and I agree. He would definitely bring the Sean Connery vibe.
They need to come out with a NEW Bond, 008. The storyline, characters, scenes, villains, edginess, are all great. But another new guy trying to fit into 007s mold would just be soo distracting.
The cast have no clue what to look for. They probably were asked for an update after so much rumblings, presented their final candidates to bosses and were told off, so they are back to square one. This is going to be a sh!t show.
The actor who is going to accept this role will have the worst 10 years of his life, with mega chaos showing at this stage of the process, it’s gonna be stressful the whole time.
Theo James and Hoult, yes. The rest…meh.
Agreed.
So much fun seeing the youngs go through this for the first time. This has always been how Bond casting works. Even for Connery! There was a huge and very public search for the perfect Bond.
It’s part of how they’ve successfully positioned Bond as being more special than your ordinary blockbuster Hollywood action movie.
I think part of the delay is that Denis is still finishing Dune and his priorities are still with that film and not Bond. There is too much riding on Dune’s success (with a different studio) for him to be focused on Bond stuff right now. They won’t announce until after Dune is released and maybe not until after the Oscars. Warner Bros. is releasing Dune and they don’t want their director to only be asked about another movie during promotion and Oscar campaigns. All that said, Nicholas Hoult is an excellent idea!!!
It should be Dev Patel. No to the rest of these guys 🥱 although Hoult and Patterson are the most interesting names so far of the one who’ve been mentioned.
If it has to be a white guy, Theo James is the choice. Everyone else is a distant second. If you’ve seen him in The Gentlemen, you know he’s got his dark intensity that’s utterly compelling.
I think Theo James would be great but isn’t he too old now? No to Harry Styles. He can’t act.
Nicholas Hoult is almost TOO good looking to play Bond. I feel like he should be attractive enough to be believable as a ladies’ man but also have an everyman quality. Hoult is a work of art, lmao. Maybe he tested for the villain.