James Bond screen tests set to take place this weekend and Callum Turner, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden and one unnamed actor are all in the running as Jacob Elordi loses final audition

The race to become the next James Bond has reportedly narrowed it down to three actors, with screen tests set for this weekend.

Bosses at Amazon MGM Studios have been hunting for the next 007 to replace Daniel Craig after he hung up his tuxedo in 2021 after No Time to Die.

Auditions for the next franchise are believed to have taken place over the summer, with actors including Jack Barton, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson said to have been in the running.

New reports suggest that the list has now been narrowed down to just three candidates – Slow Horses star Jack, Callum and one unnamed actor, according to The InSneider's Jeff Sneider.

Despite being on the list of rumoured candidates for the coveted role, Satlburn star Jacob is not being screen-tested for James Bond, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Callum Turner 

 Callum, who is married to Dua Lipa, has emerged as a top finalist to play 007. 

The actor, 36, shot to fame with his lead performance in Queen and Country (2014) and has since built an impressive filmography working alongside legendary Hollywood directors.

Most recently, he starred in the romantic comedy One Night Only alongside Monica Barbaro and featured in the drama Eternity and Rose of Nevada. 

Earlier this year, Sources told The Mail on Sunday that Callum – the bookies' odds-on favourite to take over from Daniel Craig – has been telling friends the role is his.

One source close to the Fantastic Beasts star said: 'He's been blabbing all over town. Callum is the new Bond, it's been confirmed. Everyone in his circle is talking about it. It's the worst-kept secret going.'

If Callum does pick up 007's famous Walther PPK pistol, producers at Amazon may seal a two-for-one deal with Dua to create a new song for the opening and closing credits.

Most recently, Variety reported that the casting process is close to its conclusion, with final screen tests taking place in the coming days ahead of an official announcement.

The publication suggested the final screen tests could be kicking off on Friday (23.10.26), and the article claims Callum is still in the running to be Bond.

Variety reported: 'The crowning of the next James Bond is upon us. Final screen tests for Amazon MGM Studios' new 007 are set to happen in the next week... beginning as early as Friday.

'Though who exactly will test is up in the air, Callum Turner and Jack Lowden appear to be in the mix.'

Jack Lowden 

Thanks to his role in the hit series Slow Horses, Jack emerged as an early frontrunner to take over as 007, and his co-star Gary Oldman seemed to think he'd already landed the role.

Speaking on Canada's The Morning Show, he said: '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.'

The Oscar-winner then clarified: 'They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet.'

Presenter Richard Osman has also teased that Jack seemed the most likely candidate to take on the role.

Speaking to his co-host Marina Hyde on the latest episode of his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, Osman said: 'Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that's happened before. The name I've heard is Jack Lowden.'

Richard cautioned: 'It is definitely not a 'he's definitely got it' thing. He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he'd be amazing.'

Marina agreed, pointing out that at 36, Lowden is 'a good age. You have to have the longevity. They've got to do at least two movies, and he's a good age for it.'

Osman said the actor has 'real Daniel Craig energy', adding that he 'is such a brilliant actor. Can be funny, can definitely do action. I mean, I think he'd be sensational.'

Jack has played River Cartwright in Slow Horses in 2020, and also starred in the BBC's epic adaptation of War and Peace in 2016, and The Gold in 2023.

The actor, who also had a role in Christopher Nolan's epic Dunkirk, is set to star as another leading man, Mr Darcy in Netflix's anticipated Pride And Prejudice adaptation, coming later this year.

He also appeared opposite his now-wife Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie in the 2018 period film Mary Queen Of Scots.

Saoirse herself has previously backed Jack to land the bond role. The couple married in 2024 and welcomed their first child in September 2025.

When she co-hosted a 2024 BBC Radio 2 show with Scottish DJ Edith Bowman, Edith brought up her belief that Lowden would be a great choice for the iconic role, adding that she had been making a similar argument for years.

In response, Ronan said: 'I'm going to start counting how many times you plug him for Bond on the radio.'

When Bowman replied she had been doing so for six years, Ronan responded: 'Hasn't happened yet though,' before adding: 'There's time, there's time'.

Jacob Elordi  

Jacob Elordi shot to fame in 2018 as Noah Flynn in the Netflix teen romance The Kissing Booth.

He then went on to star as Nate Jacobs in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019).

He was linked to the role just the day before, when a report from TheInsider claimed Amazon MGM had seriously considered him. 

Deadline's Justin Kroll wrote on X that 'multiple sources say Jacob Elordi is not among the four finalists for the role.' 

The Hollywood Reporter separately reported that, despite some reports, the Euphoria and Frankenstein star is not testing.

Just days ago, World Of Reel's Jordan Ruimy wrote: 'A few weeks ago, I was told that the race to become the next James Bond had narrowed to three names: Jacob Elordi, Jack Lowden and an undisclosed third actor.

'Now that Jeff Sneider at The InSneider is also reporting Lowden and Elordi as finalists, the cat's out of the bag, so here we are.

'What I'm hearing is that an announcement could come anytime between the last week of October and early November.'

Jordan suggested that Jacob is Amazon's favourite while Jack would be a more traditional choice.

Jack O'Connell

Jack had been tipped as a contender to play James Bond after his acclaimed roles in Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later and the Oscar-winning vampire thriller Sinners.

Indeed, it was Danny himself who backed him to land the role, saying at the Zurich Film Festival: 'They should cast Jack O'Connell as Bond.'

As far back as 2016, Jack said he'd be open to replacing Daniel Craig, telling Vogue: '100 per cent, but I don't think it's realistic.

'I'd definitely not try and portray him with a Derby accent, I wouldn't have the audacity.

'I would make sure that if you were watching you would think, ''Yeah this guy is going to save the world.''

'I'd have a cracking suit and I'd get in shape. I would make myself triple hard so you knew if it went down, you could trust in James.'

Jack first launched his career with a role in the teen drama Skins, and earned himself hearrthrob status in 2022 when he starred opposite Emma Corrin in Lady Chatterley's Lover.

Alongside appearing in the BBC drama SAS: Rogue Heroes, last year Jack was among the huge cast in the acclaimed film Sinners, and he underwent a remarkable transformation to appear in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

This year Jack starred alongside Claire Foy and Guy Pearce in Ink, which documents the transition of power when Larry Lamb accepted the offer to become the editor of The Sun newspaper.

Next year he is set to star in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and A Quiet Place Part III.

Despite being heavily linked to the part, sources have now claimed that Jack is not taking part in the screentests to play Bond.

Jack Barton

In August, British actor Jack Barton, 31, was introduced as a potential new leading man, as he was named a favourite for the iconic part.

At the time, it was reported by Page Six that screen tests are due to begin, with Jack's name apparently among the shortlist.

So far, he has notably appeared in teen Netflix drama Heartstopper and the BBC SAS: Rogue Heroes in 2025, as well as a selection of minor roles.

Casting directors are said to be backing Jack for the role, while it is thought that Amazon is keen for a more well-established actor.

Debbie McWilliams, who picked previous Bonds Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig for the role, previously said a newcomer should be cast.

She told the Independent in June: 'I don't want to see any of [the rumoured stars] as Bond because we now know so much about them.

'We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that's what spies are. We don't need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives.

'We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He's licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don't, then you've lost the audience.

Last month, screenwriter Steven Knight confirmed 007 has already been cast.

He was asked on Radio 4 whether he had written the film with the chosen actor in mind or based on what he already knew about the character.

The Peaky Blinders creator, who is in the process of writing the new Bond script, replied: 'It's a bit of both.

'It does make life a little bit easier if you know who that person is, but also you have to write the character, not the actor.'

He added: 'The thing with Bond is that it's its own universe and own franchise so there are certain rules, obviously you have to move it along but I love where it sits.

'I love that it's British and it's not DC or Marvel. The only thing I can say is I feel like I'm doing my duty for King and country.

'It's like something if you're a British writer, you have to do.'

Speculation about who will take over from Craig has been rife for months and heightened after Amazon MGM Studios announced in May that auditions were finally taking place.

The job of finding the next Bond now falls to casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve.