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

Following Amazon's deal to take over control of the franchise, announcements regarding Bond 26 have been steadily rolling in.

First, there was the attachment of producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman. Then, there was the news that Denis Villeneuve has signed on to direct.

Now, Variety has published an article which has got everyone talking, as it purports to reveal Amazon's wish list for the next actor to play Bond.

It names three stars who the studio would ideally be interested in, who are all under the age of 30 - Harris Dickinson, Tom Holland and Jacob Elordi.

But what are the chances that one of these three will eventually get the role? And who else could potentially be in the running, should the studio go in a different direction?

Read on for a selection and breakdown of the rumoured contenders.

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

Harris Dickinson

At the moment, Dickinson seems like one of the most likely picks to potentially take up the mantle of Bond. If Variety's article is correct, and he is one of Amazon's top three picks, then he appears to be the best suited to play 007 of the trio.

Not only did he show off his spy chops in The King's Man, but it's not a role he's become synonymous with - a real bonus, as the studio will want to know he can pull it off, but won't want fans thinking of another character when watching the new Bond.

He's also shown a real amount of range over the years, whether it's in more comedic fare like See How They Run and Triangle of Sadness, or more grounded, emotional roles in The Iron Claw and Scrapper.

However, given this eclectic, varied work he's been doing, including in smaller films, there is a question as to how eager he would be to jump into the behemoth franchise that is Bond.

Speaking on Kermode and Mayo's Take in 2023 around the release of Scrapper, he said he was "most comfortable" on the sets of smaller films, calling it an "easier way to operate" and to "get to the best kind of work".

Of course, that may well be the case until Bond comes knocking on the door - a British institution that it may be hard to turn down.

Tom Holland

Holland has been mentioned as one of Amazon's top picks for the role, and in many ways he fits the bill. He's young, which seems to be a key factor in the studio's decision-making.

He's also British - certainly handy for any Bond - and has an in-built fan base. He's already a mega-star, so if Amazon wanted to be sure of an in-built audience beyond Bond fans, it would have it with Holland.

However, there are a few factors working against him, with the most prominent being that he is already so synonymous with another major pop-culture character - Spider-Man.

Holland is, in fact, still playing Spider-Man, and likely will be for some time to come, with his own fourth film confirmed for next year and two new Avengers films in which he could make an appearance still on the way.

Could viewers really accept a Bond who is also Spider-Man at the same time? It also doesn't help that the two characters are so far apart from one another. In playing Peter Parker, Holland has been leaning into a youthful energy for some time.

The team behind the next Bond film may want a younger version of the character, but they likely won't want to stray too far from the character's blueprint.

But who knows? He has played to a different type before in films like Cherry, and if Holland truly is one of Amazon's top picks, then maybe we could see a very different side to him as our new 007.

Jacob Elordi

Elordi is one of the three stars mentioned as being Amazon's top picks for the role, and it's easy to see why.

Not only is he a huge, and quickly rising, star in his own right, but he has also displayed an excitement for the role, having previously called rumours he could play the character "beautiful".

Like Dickinson, Elordi is also an actor who has taken on a wide variety of projects, and while he may be best known for certain characters like Euphoria's Nate or Saltburn's Felix, he has not been typecast or attached wholly to one specific role.

Theoretically, one could assume that his being Australian would hold him back - however, Variety's article notes that while Amazon is looking for a British star, an Australian one wouldn't be out of the question, given that George Lazenby previously played the role.

One element he doesn't have much experience with is action - most of the others on this list have proven themselves in that field, while Elordi would be more untested.

However, if he's playing a younger Bond towards the start of his career, perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

There was a time not so long ago where it seemed like we were just days away from an announcement that Taylor-Johnson was the next Bond.

Of course, that didn't come to pass, and since then there have been a number of major developments, notably Amazon gaining creative control over the franchise.

It's unclear how close Taylor-Johnson was to getting role previously, and if he was indeed about to sign on the dotted line, what held it up. Was he a favourite of either former producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, or of Amazon, but not of both? If so, whichever way around that was could determine his future chances going forward.

Regardless, Variety's article suggests Taylor-Johnson is now out of the running due to his age. He may only be 35, but the studio is reportedly looking for someone younger than 30.

If Amazon does end up going with him regardless, it would be clear why he has been chosen. Taylor-Johnson is a big name, but perhaps not so big that he would overshadow the role. He has also taken the lead in big franchise fare, and had roles in major action films before, like Kick-Ass, Tenet, Bullet Train and, most recently, 28 Years Later.

Austin Butler

Butler may seem like something of a wildcard pick, but his chances of getting the role may have just shot up, due to his previous work with the new Bond film's director, Denis Villeneuve.

Butler worked with Villeneuve on 2024's Dune: Part Two, and he is one of the only actors to fit the bill age-wise (even then he doesn't quite fit, if the studio really is after an actor under the age of 30).

He also seems like a more likely pick than Timothée Chalamet, the other young star Villeneuve has worked with. If Villeneuve does have a say over who gets cast, and if he's looking to work with someone he's directed before, Butler may be his go-to.

However, we would still think he's an unlikely choice, primarily due to his being American. Variety has noted that the studio is looking for a British actor (or, failing that, an Australian one) and there's no doubt casting an American as the iconic British spy would be controversial.

Jack Lowden

Depending on Amazon's criteria for the actor to play the next Bond, Lowden may fall into the same camp as Taylor-Johnson as being just slightly too old for their choice. Like Taylor-Johnson, he is also in his mid-30s.

However, if you're looking for someone with proven range, strong acting chops, charm and a know-how when it comes to action, Lowden would certainly be a strong choice.

He also has history with the spy genre, but this could prove to be a double-edged sword. Lowden has been playing Slough House agent River Cartwright on Slow Horses since 2022, meaning that, while watching his Bond, viewers may start to wonder whether Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb is about to pop round the corner at any minute.

It also doesn't help that Slow Horses provides a very different, often more humorous and far less glamorous take on spycraft than the Bond franchise traditionally has done.

Still, Lowden could be up to the challenge of providing a wholly different spin on the genre. In 2022, he told RadioTimes.com that it was "still quite bizarre" talking about the role, as then it felt like "Daniel Craig is still Bond".

"I don't envy them, how they're going to replace him, because I still think he is him. He was mine, that's who I grew up with," he added.

However, he didn't deny an interest, and has elsewhere called the rumour "lovely".

But would he have time? We don't yet know for certain how long Slow Horses will run, and it could still theoretically continue for some time. Would Lowden be able to juggle both the Apple TV+ show and Bond at the same time? It seems unlikely.

Dev Patel

Like Taylor-Johnson and Lowden, Patel is now in his mid-30s, and therefore might be considered too old to fit Amazon's rumoured criteria.

However, he has certainly proved his action chops in his own directorial debut Monkey Man, and no doubt is suave enough and has the gravitas to pull it off.

He would also provide an element of surprise. Taylor-Johnson and Lowden have both been swirling around the rumour mill for some time as potential stars, and while Patel's name has been mentioned, he less frequently appears on lists such as this one.

Like Dickinson, though, one of the biggest issues may be his own level of interest in the part. When promoting Monkey Man, Patel said, "No, I don't want to be James Bond, I want to be Monkey Man."

That seems pretty emphatic. Of course, it may be one thing to say it in an interview, and another entirely if Amazon came knocking with an offer.

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