Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult have screen-tested for the next James Bond. Deadline and Variety reported the development on November 6. They join Callum Turner, Josh O'Connor, and Jack Lowden as confirmed screen-test contenders.
Amazon MGM Studios formed an initial shortlist in August 2026. By October, the studio expanded it, adding several British actors before narrowing again. The final pool now stands at five names. An announcement is expected before the end of the year, according to Deadline.
Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct the 26th installment in the franchise. Steven Knight wrote the script. No release date has been confirmed.
The tests reportedly took place in London. Pattinson is currently shooting The Batman Part II in the city. Hoult stars in How to Rob a Bank, an Amazon MGM release opening November 13, making him an in-house option in more than one sense.
Jack O'Connell was under consideration in August but did not advance to the screen-test stage. With Villeneuve directing and Knight scripting, the production is positioned differently from any Bond film before it. Five names remain. One will be cast.