Callum Turner and Jack Lowden Reportedly Head Into Final James Bond Screen Tests

The search for the next James Bond is reportedly down to its final round. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both reported on October 22 that the last screen tests for Bond 26 start this week (World of Reel). Callum Turner and Jack Lowden appear in both reports. Deadline's sources also named Josh O'Connor, plus a fourth actor who hasn't been identified.

THR says at least three actors are involved, though another source suggested it could be as many as five. The tests are reportedly happening in London, possibly starting Friday, and will cover stunts, camera presence and dialogue (ComingSoon). They were first planned for earlier in October, then pushed back so every finalist could test in the same window.

Two names that came up often in past rumors aren't on the list. Jack O'Connell reportedly isn't part of the tests, and neither is Jacob Elordi (ComingSoon). Amazon MGM hasn't confirmed any names. It's keeping quiet. The studio's only comment is that "the search for the next James Bond is underway," and it says it won't discuss specifics during casting.

Who are the reported Bond finalists?

Turner played Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movies and led Apple's Masters of the Air as Bucky Egan. Lowden is best known as River Cartwright on Slow Horses, Apple's spy series, which feels like a pretty good audition on its own. He also flew a Spitfire in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. O'Connor played Prince Charles on The Crown and starred in Challengers.

Denis Villeneuve is directing the movie from a script by Steven Knight, with Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing for Amazon MGM (World of Reel). Pascal has said an announcement should come before the end of 2026, and the goal is to start shooting in 2027, with Puck's Matt Belloni reporting a 2028 release. Villeneuve's own schedule is busy, too, since Dune: Part Three opens December 18.

My read is that Lowden has the edge on paper. He's spent years playing a spy on Slow Horses. Turner has the size and the leading-man run, though, and Amazon clearly wants options. Whoever gets it, this is the closest the search has been to an answer (and yes, we already have opinions about the tux).

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Header image combines photos of Callum Turner by LucaFazPhoto at the 2025 Venice Film Festival (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Jack Lowden by Ibsan73 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, cropped, combined and converted to black and white.