Race to Replace Daniel Craig as James Bond Heats Up

Speculation grows over who will play the next James Bond, with Jacob Elordi, Jack Lowden and Callum Turner reportedly among the frontrunners.

The search for the next James Bond has reached fever pitch, with reports suggesting an announcement about who will take over from Daniel Craig may be close. Craig was the last actor confirmed in the part, back in 2005 - a gap of 21 years since the role was formally handed to a new performer.

Jacob Elordi, Jack Lowden and Callum Turner are among the names reportedly in contention for one of cinema's most coveted assignments. The stakes are hard to overstate: across the entire official film series, only six actors have ever played 007, from Sean Connery through to Craig.

That scarcity is what makes the part so unusual. As one measure of how rarely the role changes hands, the United Kingdom has cycled through more prime ministers in the past decade than the number of men who have played Bond on screen - and twice as many people have set foot on the Moon.

Speculation over Craig's replacement has simmered for roughly six years, but it has grown louder as the reported announcement edges nearer. A crowded field of British and international actors has been floated, many of them known for recent breakout work in prestige television and major film franchises.

The frontrunners

Elordi rose to prominence as Nate Jacobs in the HBO drama Euphoria and took a leading turn as Felix Catton in the 2023 film Saltburn. Lowden currently plays River Cartwright in the Apple TV series Slow Horses, and has also appeared in the BBC's The Gold and in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Turner starred opposite Austin Butler in the Apple TV miniseries Masters of the Air and plays Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films. Their names have surfaced repeatedly as the conversation has intensified.

A deep bench of contenders

Beyond the reported shortlist, a wider group of actors has been linked to the role. Paul Mescal, who first drew attention in the television adaptation of Normal People, has since reached a broader audience as Lucius in Gladiator II and as Will alongside Jessie Buckley in Hamnet.

Jack O'Connell, who broke through as James Cook in the teen drama Skins, has more recently featured in 28 Years Later and SAS Rogue Heroes. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who appears alongside O'Connell in 28 Years Later, has also been seen in Nosferatu, The Fall Guy and Tenet.

Henry Cavill, perhaps best recognised as Clark Kent in 2013's Man of Steel and as Superman in the DC Universe, brings franchise pedigree from Enola Holmes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible - Fallout and The Witcher.

Harris Dickinson, who played Carl in Triangle of Sadness and Samuel in Babygirl, is also in the mix, as is James Norton, whose credits span ITV's Grantchester, the BBC's Happy Valley and the role of Lord Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon.

Two lesser-known names round out the list. Tom Francis, better established on stage than screen, won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for Sunset Boulevard. Jack Barton, who appeared with O'Connell in SAS Rogue Heroes, has also taken roles in Poor Things, War of the Worlds and Heartstopper.

For now, the studio has confirmed none of them. Until an announcement arrives, the identity of the seventh James Bond remains exactly what it has been for years - the subject of intense fan debate and no shortage of guesswork.

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