James Bond | Auditions officially underway for next 007

Amazon MGM Studios has begun the audition process for James Bond 26, ahead of an expected start of filming next year. In lieu of much in the way of official confirmation or word, speculation has filled the void of late where James Bond 26 is concerned. The franchise, now entirely under the stewardship of Amazon ... James Bond | Auditions officially underway for next 007

Amazon MGM Studios has begun the audition process for James Bond 26, ahead of an expected start of filming next year.

In lieu of much in the way of official confirmation or word, speculation has filled the void of late where James Bond 26 is concerned. The franchise, now entirely under the stewardship of Amazon MGM Studios, has been a little bit stuck. But actually too, the core facts have been known for a little while now.

For instance, Steven Knight has been working on the screenplay. And Denis Villeneuve is lined up to direct the next movie. Therein lies the core reason for the ongoing delay too, given that Amazon MGM opted for Villeneuve, knowing that it’d have to wait for him to finish the third Dune movie, cunningly called Dune: Part Three.

It’s not just finishing the movie, it’s promoting it too. But with Dune: Part Three in cinemas just before Christmas, Villeneuve is now getting to the point where he can shift towards some Bondage.

That accounts for the fact that, under the eye of British casting legend Nina Gold, auditions for James Bond 26 are now finally underway, and reportedly began a few weeks ago.

The current odds-on favourite to be cast as the new 007 is Callum Turner, with the likes of Harris Dinckinson, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson also with relatively short odds. But I’m reminded that nobody really saw the casting of Daniel Craig coming, an actor that not-involved-anymore producer Barbada Broccoli heavily vouched for.

Still, this is the most tangible sign of movement where James Bond 26 is concerned that we’ve seen from our side of the fence in some time. What also now seems certain is that the new James Bond film will shoot in 2027 – eight years after cameras last rolled on No Time To Die – with a 2028 release date more than likely.

More when we hear it, of course. Rest assured that the clickbait and AI merchant websites out there will neglect to cover this film, and we’ll be the only source of information out there. Honest.