Just recently, it was reported that Bond 26 is currently in limbo, with Denis Villeneuve still busy with Dune 3 and insiders claiming that Amazon doesn’t actually have a clear plan for 007’s future yet. But even though those same rumors suggest that work on the new script has stalled, multiple sources are now saying that Oscar-nominated actor Jacob Elordi is currently the favorite to play James Bond in the next instalment of the franchise.
The search for the next James Bond has turned into one of the internet’s longest-running arguments. It’s become a pattern, actually. Every few months, a new actor is added to the long line-up, upsetting fans online, while others insist that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has already signed the contract.
Elordi isn’t exactly a new name for the role. He’s been mentioned alongside Callum Turner, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Cosmo Jarvis, Aaron Pierre, Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor… the list is really long.
But several insiders now claim 28-year-old Australian actor is the frontrunner for Bond 26. While no official offer had landed on his doorstep yet, the studio is reportedly viewing him as a very serious contender for the role, even preparing to screen test him for the part.
When Elordi’s name entered the James Bond conversation in 2025, it felt a little unexpected. But, as we know, the actor has made a name for himself in recent months, thanks to his role as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Entertainment journalist Roger Friedman is reporting that Elordi has already met with producers, Amazon/MGM executives, and even director Denis Villeneuve. Now, journalist Marina Hyde said on The Rest is Entertainment podcast that she’s heard from multiple sources that Elordi is in “pole position” for the role.
Now, that report seems to have hit a snag. In September, 2026, Slow Horses actor Gary Oldman told Canada’s Global (via THR) that Bond producers have “already made their choice” about who will play Bond next but just haven’t announced it yet. Best of all, Oldman is favoring his co-star Scottish actor Jack Lowden for part: “It’s been rumored that he’s 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.”
But he’s not the only one who has his heart set on Lowden. Fans have been campaigning for him to get the part too. And based on what English television presenter, producer, and novelist Richard Osman said weeks earlier on The Rest Is Entertainment, he might have gotten the part.
But the fact that they haven’t announced the Bond 26 actor yet means it’s still up in the air. So none of the new information rules out Elordi just yet. Auditions apparently took place in August, and the filmmakers involved, including Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have met with a small list of actors for the role. That shortlist includes both Elordi and Lowden. But Callum Turner was mentioned too.
Naturally, fans have reacted to the news. And many of them negatively, saying that Elordi doesn’t have the looks or the charisma to pull off the role. But Elordi’s performances in Euphoria, Saltburn, Priscilla, and Frankenstein prove he can balance both charm and the physicality of the role. At 6’5”, he certainly looks like the type of person who could throw a henchman through a wall. Which is exactly the type of actor you need if the reports that screenwriter Steven Knight, the man behind Peaky Blinders and Eastern Promises, is steering Bond back toward Fleming’s colder, rougher version of the spy are true.
“I hope not. I think he’s a good actor, but I also think he’s becoming a bit overexposed recently. And I just don’t see him as Bond,” wrote one user on Reddit. “Not a fan. Theo James would be my pick if they go straight hunk,” wrote another. “Way too mainstream and boyish to play Bond. I prefer Callum Turner,” another expressed. It’s going to be tough to please everyone.
And before you grab your pitchforks and shout, “But he’s Australian,” it’s important for fans to remember George Lazenby was too. Okay, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service wasn’t exactly prime Bond, but it has been done before. In fact, Sam Worthington nearly snagged the role in Casino Royale before Craig ultimately played the character.
Whether it’s Jacob Elordi, Jack Lowden or any other actor really, it’s clear to see that the next Bond will be something different and special. Lowden, whose work in Slow Horses has already made him a favourite pick for 007 among a huge chunk of Bond fans, is our pick too.
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