Hollywood's best-connected insider thinks Robert Pattinson will be next James Bond, as he reveals star has been offered more cash and greater flexibility than his rivals

Robert Pattinson has been pegged as the frontrunner in the race to play Amazon MGM's James Bond by a man many consider to be Hollywood's go-to source for insider information.

Nicholas Hoult, Jack Lowden, Josh O'Connor and Callum Turner are also in the running, Puck's Matthew Belloni reported Friday.

But the terms offered to Pattinson, 40, already seem to suggest The Batman star is the top dog, Belloni argued.

Each signed pre-negotiated employment contracts locking in the financials related to the role, and Pattinson was offered 'a whole lot more money than the others,' according to Belloni.

Belloni predicted Amazon wouldn't base 'their Bond on who's cheaper,' given the 'stakes' of taking a new stab at the series.

The offer to Pattinson, meanwhile, was also said to include a commitment to three movies as opposed to four, three sources familiar with the talks said. O'Connor and Lowden would have to agree to four. 

Pattinson's package was framed as the most appealing. According to Belloni, its contents, when compared to the others, 'suggests the studio is willing or even eager to sacrifice a bit to get a "name" star to front its most important franchise.'

The new film will be the 26th to feature Ian Fleming's fictional spy and is being directed by Dune's Denis Villeneuve.

Belloni pointed out Villeneuve already 'has a relationship with Pattinson, of course, having directed him in the third Dune movie.'

The journalist also flagged how one of the producers that handed over the franchise to Amazon last year, Barbara Broccoli, 'made it known to those in her orbit that she liked Pattinson for Bond' toward the start of 2019. 

She reportedly 'lost interest' after the actor was named as Batman in May 2019.

Amazon purchased MGM for a plum $8.5 billion in 2021 and paid another $20 million to Eon Productions for creative control of the 007 franchise in 2025. Broccoli and her half brother, Michael G Wilson, ceded authority in the process.

The next to play Bond will follow Daniel Craig and be the seventh to pick up the mantle in the 64-year history of the film franchise.

Pattinson was billed by Belloni as a safe pick for appealing to both Millennials fond of the Twilight movies and younger viewers who may see him as an 'established' star when compared with the rest of the finalists.

Two sources told the journalist that Pattinson’s test deal was also 'difficult to close,' to the point where 'some involved were left wondering why the filmmakers would bother if they didn’t really want him.'

Belloni conceded there were some holes to his theory, though – writing that 'of the six men who have played Bond... only Pierce Brosnan (and maybe Roger Moore in the UK) was a known entity' beforehand.

Pattinson also carries the risk of alienating Bond's 'aging' audience, according to Belloni, who pointed out that 'Pattinson’s audience skews younger.'

He also admitted that given Bond's fame, 'the character is arguably way better without some star's career baggage.'

'But think about it. No franchise is bulletproof anymore - everything is vulnerable and most can be helped by a value-add element, like an established star,' Belloni maintained, at a point.

He ended the report with perhaps the most basic piece of evidence to support his theory – that Pattinson 'did test' in the first place, 'suggesting he really wants' the part.