As we enter October 2026, it’s now almost exactly seven years since Daniel Craig hung up his tuxedo and handed back his gun following the hugely-successful last instalment of the James Bond franchaise (it was released on September 30, 2021).
We’ve known for months that there will be sequel to No Time To Die - directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and written by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight.
But there’s still no news on who will take on the iconic role, becoming the eighth actor to play 007 following Sean Connery (the best, obviously), David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Back in 2024 it was reported that Kickass actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson had accepted the part but it turned out not to be the case - and he appears to now be out of the running.
His chances were perhaps over when Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael G. Wilson, who have handpicked the Bond actors since the 1990s, signed over ‘full creative control’ to Amazon MGM Studios. He was thought to be their choice and the new bosses seem to want to go their own way.
Auditions are still ongoing, but it’s thought that the casting announcement will be made before the end of the year - at the very latest.
Here are the 15 actors leading the charge to play Bond, according to the bookies.
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1. Jack Lowden - Evens (1/1)
Jack Lowden had long been an outside chance to become the next Bond but had his odds slashed when Richard Osman said he would be handed the role in his 'The Rest is Entertainment' podcast. He had dropped down to second favourite for a few weeks but is back at the top of the pile - albeit only joint favourite - with odds of 1/1. Equally at home on the stage or on the screen, Lowden first found fame in 2016 BBC miniseries of 'War & Peace' and has since starred in the likes of 'Dunkirk' and 'Mary Queen of Scots'. He's reached his biggest audience to date starring opposite Gary Oldman in acclaimed spy drama 'Slow Horses', for which he was recently Emmy-nominated. He'd be the first Scottish James Bond since Sean Connery (who was, obviously, also the best). | AFP via Getty Images
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2. Callum Turner - Evens (1/1)
'Fantastic Beasts' franchaise star Callum Turner became favourite to play Bond following his recent marriage to pop star Dua Lipa. He's now the joint most likely candidate to step into 007's handmade shoes alongside Jack Lowden with odds of 1/1. His most recent major television role was as Major John Egan in 'Masters of the Air' and he's recently been on the big screen in David Freyne's latest film 'Eternity'. His new film, 'Rosebush Pruning', sees him starring opposite his new wife and premiered at the Berlin Film Festival - where he did little to dispel the 007 rumours. Dua Lipa is also one of the favourites to bag the prestigious Bond theme gig too. | Getty Images for Universal Pictu
3. Jack Barton - 5/1
Jack Barton came out of nowhere to be the new favourite to play James Bond a couple of weeks ago. He's best known for playing David Nelson in the Netflix series 'Heartstopper' and also starred in 'SAS: Rogue Heroes'. His odds have now shortened once again to 5/1 making him the third favourite to land the job of a lifetime. | Getty Images for Universal Pictu
4. Jacob Elordi - 12/1
The favourite to be a non-British Bond is Jacob Elordi, who was Oscar nominated earlier this year for his role as at the monster in 'Frankenstein' - the Guillermo del Toro film that was shot in Scotland. He would certainly be a buzzy choice for Bond after shooting to fame in 'Saltburn' - and made another splash in director Emerald Fennell's followup 'Wuthering Heights'. His odds seem to have stabilised at 12/1 suggesting he's still in the running? | AFP via Getty Images