Bond, Batman Bond
It feels like it's time to pick a Bond already as things are now getting a bit out of hand:
As James Bond casting rumors heat up, a couple more A-list actors have entered the mix: Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult were among the stars who screen-tested to play the new 007.
Both British actors certainly have the acting pedigree to play the suave spy, taking up the mantle after Daniel Craig’s 15-year run. They also have a keen awareness of what it takes to work in major franchise fare: Pattinson stars as Batman for DC Studios and is an alum of both the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” franchises; meanwhile, Hoult plays Lex Luthor in DC’s Superman movies and starred in the 2010s “X-Men” prequel trilogy. He next stars in the Amazon MGM Studios movie “How to Rob a Bank,” in theaters on Nov. 13. Pattinson also has the Denis Villeneuve factor on his side, after starring in the filmmaker’s upcoming epic “Dune: Part Three.”
Just when it seemed like it was narrowed down to 3 (or maybe a mysterious 4th), in come two very viable new contenders – one of which is arguably one of the biggest stars in the world right now thanks to an incredible 2026 streak of movies. Pattinson is not just the biggest name here, he's also probably the best actor in the running and that obviously has to matter...
But in a weird way, his stardom may rule him out. Historically, stars haven't been made into James Bond, James Bond has made them into stars. Pattinson would be by far the biggest name to get the role at the time of tuxedo try-on. But, of course, the old powers that be with Bond, namely the Broccoli family, are no longer in charge. So if Amazon – and really, Villeneuve, want Pattinson, they're likely to get Pattinson. Unless they feel some level of sticking-with-the-old formula.
Personally, I wouldn't pick Pattinson because not only is he already well-established, he's already and concurrently playing another massive character in Bruce Wayne/Batman. In fact, it may have been the stopping of that production (due to a personal situation with the director Matt Reeves – something bad enough that Steven Soderbergh has stepped in to finish the filming) which allowed Pattinson to even enter the running here. Did Villeneuve decide he just wanted to see a few more options before they decide and so called up his Dune actor?
As for Hoult, he'd seemingly be a pretty good pick – I've been a fan since he was in About a Boy, when he was... 11 years old! He's not nearly as well known as Pattison, but as noted, he too is already concurrently playing a major character in another massive bit of IP in the form of Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Superman franchise. Daniel Craig entered a couple other franchises during his Bond days – notably Knives Out, and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which didn't continue) – but that was after he was Bond.
I'm not sure how much any of that actually matters, but it's a little weird. I do think there's a fairly high risk of Pattinson getting some backlash soon simply because he's seemingly everywhere (a good problem to have). People tend to get sick of actors who are everywhere, all the time. Becoming James Bond will not help with that!
But all of this isn't even the strangest part of the story:
Since then, nearly every 30-something British actor’s name has been bandied about in the U.K. and U.S. press, with rumored top contenders including Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden. Variety has learned that Harry Styles has had discussions about the part, and Theo James, 41, also hasn’t been ruled out.
Harry Styles may be a fine actor – he was good enough in Dunkirk (working with Villeneuve's good friend Christopher Nolan) – but come on, it would be ridiculous to cast him as James Bond. For as well known as Pattinson is, Styles is about 100x the star thanks to his music career. They can't be serious because it wouldn't be taken seriously.
Theo James, on the other hand, is far more interesting. He's excellent in Netflix's episodic version of Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman. It has a very similar vibe to Layer Cake, which many credit with launching Craig into 007 status. His name has been lingering for a while, but that show alone probably propelled him back into the conversation. The issue, of course, is his age. At 41, he wouldn't be the oldest Bond ever cast – Timothy Dalton was also 41, Pierce Brosnan was 42, and Roger Moore was 45! – but he would be the oldest of this crop and is seemingly older than what the idea originally was here. If you look at James, do you also have to bring Henry Cavill, at 43, back into the equation?
Pattinson, by the way, is also 40 (though he definitely doesn't look it). Hoult is 36 – same as Lowden, Turner, and O'Connor – two years younger than Craig when he got the role, four years older than Sean Connery (and six years older than George Lazenby!).
If I had to rank the main named contenders that I'd personally prefer right now,1 I'd go:
- Jack Lowden
- Callum Turner
- Nicholas Hoult
- Josh O'Conner
- Robert Pattinson
Again, I believe Pattinson is the best actor of the bunch, but he's just too well established. But here's a twist: what if he's cast as the villain? How great would that be? Of course, that may not happen simply because of his turns in The Odyssey and (soon) Dune this year. But he's a good villain!
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 I honestly still think I like (also 36 year old) Aaron Taylor-Johnson a lot, maybe even the most. Well, the most would be (40 year old) Richard Madden, but only since I've been on that for years... ↩