The final round of auditions for the next James Bond is set to begin, and the producers' favourite among the candidates is an actor who is not a household name. According to Page Six sources, the five stars in the running for the role are established film and TV actors, some of whom are Oscar nominees.
The five final candidates
The names reported in the final round, scheduled for early September, include Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Callum Turner (One Night Only) and Jacob Elordi (The Dog Stars). Also mentioned are Paul Mescal and Harrison Dickinson, who are set to play Paul McCartney and John Lennon in the upcoming Beatles biopics.
The rumoured favourite among the producers, however, is Jack Barton, an actor so little known that he does not have any odds to become the next 007. The 31-year-old English actor, who shares UK publicists with Daniel Craig, has appeared in the TV shows Heartstopper and SAS: Rogue Heroes. His only film credit is a small role in Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things.
A departure from Craig's Bond
Barton is notably slim, a far cry from Craig's muscular portrayal of the character. It is suggested that director Denis Villeneuve may be aiming for Ian Fleming's original vision, who imagined James Bond looking like Hoagy Carmichael. It remains unknown whether the new Bond film will be set in the modern period or the 1950s setting of the original novels.
Given that Craig's incarnation was blown to smithereens, a total reset would make sense. Bond producer Amy Pascal has confirmed that the new 007 star will be announced by the end of the year.
