Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult have reportedly screen-tested for the next James Bond, joining a shortlist that already included Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden, Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported on 6 November from sources close to the process. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment. No casting decision has been announced.
Key facts
- Role: next James Bond (Bond 26), directed by Denis Villeneuve; script by Steven Knight; producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman
- Reported test group: Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult, Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor, Jack Lowden (trades say about five actors; which name was the late addition is unclear)
- Process: casting director Nina Gold joined in spring; final tests originally planned earlier in October, then moved to late October around scheduling; THR places tests around the weekend of 24 October
- Status: no official selection; trades expect a decision before late November / Thanksgiving window; Amazon no comment
How the test list widened
For months the public shortlist centred on Turner, O’Connor and Lowden. Pattinson’s arrival is the surprise: he already anchors DC Studios’ Batman franchise, is filming The Batman Part II in London, and worked with Villeneuve on Dune: Part Three, due on 18 December. Hoult, already Lex Luthor in DC’s Superman films and a veteran of the X-Men prequels, was named by Deadline and Variety in the same test round. THR had earlier said four or five actors were in the mix when only three names were public.
Deadline’s reporting describes a process that began after Gold’s appointment, moved through summer meetings into August auditions, then narrowed under Villeneuve, Pascal and Heyman to test offers in September. Final tests slipped from earlier October because of scheduling conflicts among the finalists. Variety adds that Harry Styles has had discussions about the part and that Theo James has not been ruled out, without saying either man tested in the late-October group.
Franchise context under Amazon
This is the first Bond film under Amazon’s creative control after the studio bought out the Broccoli family’s rights in February 2025. Villeneuve was hired as director last year; Knight is writing. Pierce Brosnan has publicly backed Turner; Gary Oldman has backed Lowden, his Slow Horses co-star. Neither endorsement settles casting. Daniel Craig’s run ended with No Time to Die in 2021; Skyfall (2012) remains the franchise’s sole reported billion-dollar title.
What the trades do not have is an official shortlist, a start date or a locked title. Amazon’s silence is consistent across Deadline, Variety and THR. Until the studio and producers announce a name, the story remains reported screen tests, not a casting decision.
Our reading
For talent agents and foreign buyers, the signal is that Villeneuve’s room tested at least one globally bankable lead (Pattinson) alongside actors still building international scale. That widens the commercial brief beyond a pure discovery casting and undercuts any assumption that Bond 26 would avoid a current franchise face. Until Amazon MGM announces a name, treat every credit as a reported test, not a done deal.
Related: Amazon MGM Studios’ Japan investment push; Prime Video profitability and Amazon MGM analysis; Romania named AFM Country of Focus.
Sources
- Deadline (Justin Kroll), 6 November 2026. Pattinson and Hoult among recent Bond screen tests with Lowden, O’Connor and Turner; five-actor final group; Amazon no comment
- Variety (Angelique Jackson), 6 November 2026. Pattinson and Hoult tested for Villeneuve’s Bond; Harry Styles discussions; Theo James not ruled out; Amazon declined comment
- The Hollywood Reporter (Borys Kit, Aaron Couch), 6 November 2026. Pattinson tested; Hoult also surfacing; tests said to be weekend of 24 October; Amazon no comment