What it takes to be James Bond – the audition test every 007 has to pass

If you want to be James Bond, you used to have to pass a very specific test – but the decision over who earns the licence to kill no longer rests solely with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson. The long-time Bond custodians have entered a new partnership with Amazon MGM Studios, which recently took creative control of the franchise in a landmark deal. As the series enters a new era, its famously secretive audition process could be about to change.

For decades, Broccoli and Wilson tested every would-be Bond to make sure their martini was shaken and not stirred, that they could tell a Walther PPK from a Glock 9mm, and most importantly, that they could believably be the object of desire for audiences worldwide.

They even had a signature audition scene: one lifted straight from From Russia with Love (1963). It’s a sequence any self-respecting Bond fan knows well – the moment Sean Connery’s 007 returns to his hotel room to find Tatiana Romanova, the Soviet honeytrap sent to seduce him, waiting in bed wearing nothing but a black velvet choker.

After dispatching assassin Krilencu with his ally Kerim Bey, Bond strolls back to his suite, gun still in hand. Bond, such is his style, quickly makes himself comfortable with Miss Romanova and compliments her attractiveness only to be met with the self-deprecating retort: "I think my mouth is too big."

As he leans in for a kiss, Bond comes back with a barb as only he can: "No, it’s the right size. For me, that is."

Wilson explained the choice of scene during the 60th anniversary celebrations for Dr No at the BFI: "We always use the same scene and that’s the one in From Russia with Love where Bond comes back to his room after the assassination... anyone who can bring that scene off is right for Bond. It’s tough to do."

Wilson also made a point to mention that they always need a good actress to read the Tatiana part, but kept the names of any of the women to have worked the audition process under his hat.

It’s clear why that moment endured as a testing ground. The scene calls for Bond to be sexy, confident and beguiling and rather emphasises his '60s approach to espionage. It’s a bit of acting that really embodies the Bond character and what a performer needs to bring to the role that has always been more than shooting and seducing.

Emitting that level of debonair confidence is not easy, especially with a character as familiar as Bond, it can easily turn to parody and the scene allows an actor to find the right tone as 007.

Now, as Bond 26 moves ahead under Amazon MGM’s stewardship, it’s unclear whether that same classic scene will still be used to test potential agents. With Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Blade Runner 2049) set to direct and new producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman joining the team, the next 007 could be chosen through a very different kind of process — one reflecting Amazon’s global ambitions for the franchise rather than Eon’s traditional methods.

Regardless, who are some of the actors that could be auditioning – with this scene, or by some other method? Who is the next Bond?

The hunt for Daniel Craig’s successor continues quietly, though casting decisions will now be made within Amazon’s new creative framework rather than by Broccoli and Wilson. Reports suggest a soft reboot is on the table – reintroducing Bond as a younger, yet battle-hardened agent at the start of his career.

Bookmakers still have Aaron Taylor-Johnson as favourite – ticking the boxes of age, experience and British charm, while ther names mooted by fans and critics have included Henry Cavill, James Norton, Regé-Jean Page, Jack Lowden and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù – all potential candidates to bring fresh life to the world’s most famous spy.

Whoever dons the tuxedo next, one thing’s for sure: the rules of the game are changing.

Read more: Who will play James Bond in Denis Villeneuve's movie? Rumours explained

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