For James Bond devotees, one question has become an all-consuming mystery: who will step into the tuxedo as the next 007?
The clues may appear to be everywhere, but for determined armchair detectives, they have so far led absolutely nowhere.
Several actors have been tipped as near-certainties, only for fresh rumours to send the speculation in another direction. In the famously gossip-driven entertainment industry, it is rare to see a secret guarded so successfully.
The Mail on Sunday can now reveal the extraordinary measures taken by producers to protect the identity of Daniel Craig’s successor. Amazon MGM Studios has created a security operation worthy of M, determined to prevent even a single word — let alone a photograph — from escaping.
Insiders have described the remarkable secrecy surrounding the auditions and explained just how far Bond’s new owners are going to find the actor who will inherit one of cinema’s most coveted roles and potentially spend the next decade as the world’s best-known spy.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson owned the Bond franchise for three decades before it was sold to streaming giant Amazon in February last year for a reported $1 billion. Since then, seemingly every leading young actor has been linked to the role. The shortlist auditioning at the end of last month reportedly included Callum Turner, known for Fantastic Beasts, Jack Lowden of Slow Horses, The Crown star Josh O’Connor and an unidentified ‘fourth man’.
Callum Turner and Jack Lowden have both auditioned to play Bond
The Crown actor Josh O’Connor is thought to be in contention for the next 007 role
Black Mercedes limousines transported the hopefuls through the main entrance of Bray Studios in Berkshire, which is now owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a lifelong Bond admirer. The extensive site includes enormous sound stages, offices and the 18th-century country house Down Place. Its position between an A-road, the River Thames and open fields makes it difficult for outsiders to observe.
One source said: ‘There was a section of the studio accessible only to people with special passes. Inside that restricted area was a safe room, and anyone entering had to leave their bags and mobile phones outside.
‘The audition scripts featured scenes from earlier Bond films and were printed in a special red ink that could not be copied or photographed. Every script also carried an individual watermark. There were more security guards than I have ever seen before.’
Using red ink for scenes that are already widely available online underlined just how determined the production team is to ensure that nothing gets out.
When Turner arrived at Bray three Saturdays ago in the middle of torrential rain, photographers and fans hoping to see the 36-year-old were thwarted by a series of sophisticated security precautions.
One photographer said: ‘A professional camera lens can normally see through a car windscreen, but the glass had been treated. You see similar vehicles around places such as Downing Street.
‘As the car was preparing to leave, two security guards drove to the entrance in a Bond-style golf buggy and stood in the rain while the vehicle passed through. They were talking discreetly over their walkie-talkies.’
The photographer added that the studio had increased its protection by placing covers over the gates to prevent anyone from getting a clear view.
Inside the secure audition room was the select team responsible for choosing the new 007, who is expected to begin filming ‘Bond 26’, as the next instalment is known, next spring.
Production is expected to run for nine months, with the film scheduled for a worldwide cinema release in November 2028. That would create the longest gap in Bond history between Craig’s final outing, No Time To Die in 2021, and the next film.
Auditions took place at Bray Studios in Berkshire, now owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
The cars had windows so heavily darkened that photographers could not identify the occupants
Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose next project Dune: Part Three is expected to be a major Christmas box-office attraction when it arrives next month, joined British casting director Nina Gold and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman in the room. Steven Knight, the writer behind Peaky Blinders, was also present.
A two-person camera and sound crew recorded the screen tests. The footage was then transported by private jet to Hollywood, where Bezos and Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, watched the performances.
Sending even an encrypted copy online was deemed too dangerous because of the possibility that the material could be hacked.
Gold is highly respected in Hollywood for her ‘exceptional eye’ when it comes to identifying talent early and helping launch global careers. She played a key role in casting Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
She also cast the first three seasons of The Crown and helped assemble the huge ensemble of Game Of Thrones, which turned Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Sophie Turner into international stars.
According to a studio source, the Bond contenders were assessed on their ‘camera presence and dialogue’. They performed scenes from earlier films, including Casino Royale, GoldenEye and From Russia With Love.
The actors were also asked to enter and leave through a dummy door and carry out a stunt. The exact nature of that stunt remains unclear, the source said, because so few people are aware of it.
The source added: ‘The actors were given plenty of time on camera. Everyone understands how important this decision is. Whoever gets the part will become part of film history. There is endless speculation about the identity of the next Bond, but only a small number of people actually know. Everyone else will learn when Amazon issues a statement, which is expected before the end of the year.’
Debbie McWilliams worked on every Bond film from 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, starring Roger Moore, until her retirement after No Time To Die, in which Craig’s version of Bond was killed by a missile strike.
In an interview with 007.com, she described the qualities needed to play the spy: ‘They either have it or they do not. It really is that straightforward. You need the confidence to know who you are. Daniel Craig exceeded my expectations. He was brilliant.
‘There is hardly an actor anywhere who would reject the chance to appear in a James Bond film. But the essential requirement is that they must be a brilliant actor.’
The current process appears to reflect McWilliams’s approach. She previously said she would ask actors to perform a scene from an earlier Bond film rather than use the script for the movie being made. ‘I never used the script that was going to be shot,’ she explained.
The screenplay for the new Bond film is understood to still be evolving. Even if it were finished, however, the casting team would be unlikely to use it for auditions because of the risk of a leak.
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McWilliams said: ‘The last time we auditioned, we screen-tested quite a few people. Choosing a Bond is an enormous decision, and it cannot be made casually because there is so much at stake.’
‘It is remarkable how much changes once they wear the suit, have the haircut and are put through the physical tests. You put on the clothes and become something else — that is where the magic happens. They need to be able to act and handle the physical demands.
‘Ultimately, they have to be the complete package.’
The current secretive audition process is a stark contrast to previous Bond screen tests, many of which can be watched on YouTube.
Several actors who auditioned went on to build highly successful careers.
When Roger Moore suggested he might step down after 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, American actor James Brolin — now married to Barbra Streisand — tested for the role with what was considered an unconvincing English accent. He came close to winning the part before Moore agreed to return.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill auditioned in 1986 after Moore finally retired, but the role ultimately went to Timothy Dalton.
Rupert Friend was only 23 when he tested for Bond in 2005 and was unsuccessful. He soon appeared in Pride & Prejudice and later played a CIA agent in the acclaimed espionage drama Homeland.
Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney have both been linked to potential Bond girl roles
Australian actor Sam Worthington also tested that year, later admitting that he struggled with ‘the suave stuff’. He did not become 007, but James Cameron’s Avatar made him a worldwide star four years later.
An Amazon source said the next Bond would be British, claiming this was a firm requirement from Bezos.
‘James Bond is British and always will be,’ the source said. ‘Jeff’s favourite Bond is Sean Connery, which is why Scottish actor Jack Lowden has remained a frontrunner for so long.’
The speculation has shifted in recent weeks, however. Callum Turner has reportedly moved from second place — behind Lowden in betting markets — to the front of the pack. As Katie Hind reported in this newspaper last week, Turner and his pop star partner Dua Lipa are viewed as a potential ‘power couple’ capable of creating enormous publicity if he becomes Bond and she performs the theme song.
The Amazon source said: ‘With Callum and Dua, you effectively get a two-for-one package, and that is very appealing.’
The Crown star Josh O’Connor is thought to be in third place. The Sun reported last week that an unnamed castmate in one of O’Connor’s plays had allegedly revealed, after drinking, that the actor had confessed to securing the Bond role.
Last week, the Mail on Sunday reported intense industry speculation that Australian actor Jacob Elordi was the mystery ‘fourth man’ who joined the auditions at the last minute.
That claim came as news to a sailing club on England’s south coast, where members insist a former colleague of theirs was the secret contender.
According to sources at the club, the unexpected candidate is Jack Barton, 31, who has appeared in Heartstopper and SAS: Rogue Heroes.
A source said: ‘Jack used to belong to the club and still keeps in contact with some members. The talk is that Jack is the fourth man. It is all anyone there is discussing.’
As the list of possibilities grows ever more crowded, two additional names have now entered the Bond conversation.
The Hollywood Reporter claimed on Friday that Robert Pattinson, star of The Batman, screen-tested for the role last month.
The publication also mentioned Nicholas Hoult, known for X-Men: First Class. Both actors have previously worked with Villeneuve.
Other sources have told the Mail that producers are approaching possible Bond girls, with Euphoria stars Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya reportedly among those being considered.
One source said: ‘Sydney Sweeney appears likely to be a Bond girl unless her existing commitments make it impossible. The new Bond is expected to be younger because the producers want an actor capable of making several films. Zendaya is another name attracting significant attention.’
Perhaps the most surprising claim to emerge in recent days is that Bezos himself could make a brief appearance as a villain.
The Amazon source said: ‘It should not be ruled out. There have been plenty of jokes since Amazon acquired the Bond rights, including comparisons between Jeff and a real-life Bond villain.
‘Someone even created an image of him as Blofeld stroking a white cat, and he found it very funny.’
It would not be the first time a high-profile celebrity has accepted a Bond cameo.
Madonna appeared as a fencing instructor named Verity in Die Another Day and also recorded the film’s theme song. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson played a passenger being searched at Miami Airport in Casino Royale.
Some fans worry that Amazon could expand Bond in the same way Star Wars has been developed, with a stream of spin-off series and poorly received television projects.
But the Amazon insider said: ‘The team assembled to guide Bond into the future is second to none. We believe we can carry this iconic character forward for many generations.
‘The announcement of the next Bond is very close, and he is in extremely safe hands.’
