The tuxedo is waiting, and Jack Lowden leads the four contenders shown on prediction markets.
Culture
By Ekaterina Drozdovica
Looking good in a tuxedo gets you onto a James Bond fan list. Landing the job takes considerably more.
As the search for Daniel Craig’s successor continues, next James Bond actor predictions have become their own spectator sport, complete with cryptic interviews and colleagues dropping tantalizing hints.
Jack Lowden leads the four candidates shown in OG.com’s Next James Bond prediction market, but the studio has yet to publicly name its new 007. Amazon MGM’s official update confirms the search and creative team without identifying the actor.
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Who will be the next James Bond?
Lowden currently has the strongest favour of prediction market traders. His challengers are Harris Dickinson, Josh O’Connor, and Callum Turner. Traders are also backing Jack Barton, Paul Mescal, Nicholas Hoult and Jacob Elordi for the role.
Market data as of October 22, 2026. For the latest probabilities, check the OG.com platform.
The casting decision sits within a broader reinvention of the classic film. Denis Villeneuve is directing, Steven Knight is writing, and Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing. Whoever gets the call will help establish their version of Bond after Craig’s run ended with No Time to Die.
Each of the four candidates offers a different answer to that brief.
Will Jack Lowden be the next James Bond?
Lowden already has espionage experience on his résumé. In Slow Horses, he plays River Cartwright, an MI5 agent dispatched to the service’s dumping ground for failed spies. The working conditions are considerably less glamorous than Bond’s. If Lowden lands the Bond role, the upgrade from Slough House alone would count as a promotion.
He has a prominent supporter, too. In a September Town & Country interview, co-star Gary Oldman said: “My fingers are crossed and I hope Jack gets to be Bond.”
Will Harris Dickinson be the next James Bond?
Harris Dickinson already has some spy experience on his résumé, thanks to The King’s Man, while Babygirl showed his ability to mix charm with an unsettling edge. He also has another British icon on his schedule: John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films.
He has openly entertained the idea. Speaking to Total Film in 2023, Dickinson said: “You’d be a fool to not entertain that role.” In a September 2025 Happy Sad Confused interview, he also expressed more interest in playing Bond than a superhero. He also has another British icon on his schedule: John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films.
In July 2026, reports citing journalist Jeff Sneider suggested Dickinson had withdrawn from consideration, but Page Six included him in a reported screen-test shortlist the following month.
Will Josh O’Connor be the next James Bond?
His work offers two very different reference points: the constrained Prince Charles in The Crown, which won him an Emmy, and the swaggering tennis player in Challengers.
O’Connor has previously poured cold water on the chatter. Speaking to Deadline at Sundance in January 2025, he said: “If I am Bond, I don’t know about it.” His comments helped send the speculation snowballing.
Will Callum Turner be the next James Bond?
Turner is Lowden’s nearest challenger according to prediction market traders. His starring role in Masters of the Air provides a useful calling card: a large-scale wartime drama built around dangerous missions and the strain on the men flying them.
His ambiguity around the Bond questions has kept the speculation alive. Asked about Bond at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2026, he replied: “I’m not going to comment on it, thank you.” Excellent discretion for a prospective secret agent; limited evidence for Bond predictions.
Will Jack Barton be the next James Bond?
You may recognize him as Nick Nelson’s older brother David in Heartstopper, or as soldier John Tonkin in SAS: Rogue Heroes. His credits also include a small role in Poor Things. Moving from supporting parts to 007 would be quite the promotion.
His name gained attention after Page Six reported in August 2026 that he had emerged as a strong contender ahead of planned screen tests. The report relied on unnamed sources.
Being less famous could work in his favor. Former Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has argued that audiences should know little about the actor’s private life to preserve the spy’s mystery.
Will Paul Mescal be the next James Bond?
Paul Mescal’s role in Gladiator II showed he can handle demanding action scenes, while Normal People showed his ability to play a sensitive, emotionally vulnerable character. Both could serve him well as Bond, who needs to be convincing in a fight and show the person behind the tough exterior.
He also has support from someone who knows the franchise. Andrew Scott, who played C in Spectre, backed his All of Us Strangers co-star in a December 2023 interview with Variety: “He’d probably be a great James Bond.”
Yet Mescal’s availability could complicate the picture. Mescal is playing Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films, and Variety reported that those commitments had already forced him to leave The Dog Stars.
Will Nicholas Hoult be the next James Bond?
Nicholas Hoult is the third most favoured candidate. His turn as Lex Luthor in Superman has already placed him inside another major franchise. Hoult’s Superman co-star Frank Grillo gave the actor an endorsement: “If Nicholas Hoult isn’t cast as James Bond, they made a great error.”
His red-carpet wardrobe has caught attention, too. Vogue Italia linked Hoult’s sharper style to the Bond rumors, suggesting he already looks the part.
Will Jacob Elordi be the next James Bond?
At the London premiere of The Dog Stars in August 2026, Variety asked whether Elordi had been auditioning for Bond. His answer: “I’m here on holiday.” A smart evasion, though hardly proof that he has been visiting MI6 between sightseeing stops.
His leading role in Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic film gives the speculation something more substantial than red-carpet charm. Page Six also included Elordi in its reported August screen-test shortlist, although the studio did not confirm that list.
His fame could also be a sticking point. Former Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams specifically questioned Elordi’s suitability, arguing that the public already knows too much about him to preserve Bond’s mystery.
Who played James Bond before?
Six actors have played Bond in the main film series, each bringing a different personality to the tuxedo.
Sean Connery
1962–1967, then 1971
George Lazenby
1969
Roger Moore
1973–1985
Timothy Dalton
1987–1989
Pierce Brosnan
1995–2002
Daniel Craig
2006–2021
This table covers the Eon-produced series. Connery also returned in the separately producedNever Say Never Again (1983).
How were the Bond actors chosen?
There has never been a single formula. In an interview with Radio Times, longtime casting director Debbie McWilliams explained that acting ability and the intended tone of the film all mattered.
Some decisions also came down to something less glamorous: whether an actor could get out of another contract. Pierce Brosnan, for example, was offered Bond as early as 1986 after Remington Steele was canceled, but could not escape his contract when the show returned, and Timothy Dalton took over instead.
George Lazenby proved he could handle the action. In a 2019 interview with Home Cinema Choice, Lazenby recalled months of testing before a fight audition requested by United Artists. He accidentally hit his opponent for real, knocking him down, and the producer Harry Saltzman then told him they were choosing him.
Daniel Craig suited a tougher reinvention. McWilliams told Radio Times that Barbara Broccoli championed Craig early, while the team wanted a more contemporary Bond with greater menace. They considered younger actors but felt those candidates lacked the experience and presence needed for the role’s demands.
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At the time of writing, no successor has been publicly confirmed. Jack Lowden leads the four candidates shown in OG.com’s Next James Bond prediction market, but the studio has yet to publicly name its new 007.
Is Jack Lowden the favorite to play James Bond?
He leads the four candidates in prediction markets at the time of writing. His challengers are Harris Dickinson, Josh O’Connor, and Callum Turner. Traders are also backing Jack Barton, Paul Mescal, Nicholas Hoult and Jacob Elordi for the role.
When will the new James Bond actor be revealed?
There is no confirmed announcement date. Producer Amy Pascal suggested the end of 2026 was a possibility.
Who is directing the next James Bond movie?
Denis Villeneuve will direct, with Steven Knight writing the screenplay. Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing the film.
Can I trade the next James Bond predictions on OG.com?
Yes, OG.com offers a market on the actor cast as James Bond in the next film, and you can trade it if you’re eligible.
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