Callum Turner may have just received his license to kill. The British actor, 36, who is best known for his roles in Fantastic Beasts and Masters of the Air, has reportedly been chosen to take over as James Bond from Daniel Craig. Final screen tests for the role reportedly happened over the Halloween weekend with Amazon MGM Studios already leaning toward a favorite. Turner has also made some changes with his own businesses to potentially accommodate committing to the role.
Roger Friedman at Showbiz411 is reporting that Turner is going to be the next 007. This time the rumors may stick, as Friedman was one of the first to break the casting of Daniel Craig for Casino Royale in 2005. Turner supposedly beat out three other actors, including a mysterious thespian Amazon MGM tried to keep under wraps. Well, more wraps than the leaked roster of other names due to potential backlash from fans over racial bias.
Turner has resigned as a director at Twentytwo Films, the production company he co-founded with his pop superstar wife Dua Lipa in 2025. The timing is particularly suspect for someone about to take on one of the most demanding roles in Hollywood. Taking on James Bond could keep Turner busy for the next decade, and leaving the company would mean one less thing to worry about between saving the world and ordering martinis.
Variety reported that final screen tests were scheduled to begin October 30th, with Turner and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden among the contenders. The Crown actor Josh O’Connor has also been linked to the role, along with a fourth mystery contender who reportedly isn’t Lanterns star Aaron Pierre. Lowden had recently emerged as a favorite, but Turner has been circling the part for months. He’s already gotten through a deadly siege alongside Patrick Stewart in Green Room and competed with Miles Teller for Elizabeth Olsen’s affections in Eternity. Now he may have beaten out Hollywood’s leading men for the role of James Bond.
Turner may be the first James Bond to come with his own pre-established Bond girl. His wife, pop superstar Dua Lipa, could record the theme song for Bond 26. The singer already had her own spy adventure in Matthew Vaughn’s 2024 box office bomb Argylle, where she played a glamorous assassin opposite Henry Cavill. There’s practically a waiting list of musicians hoping to record a Bond theme like legends Paul McCartney and Adele. Having the new 007’s wife performing the theme would be a first for the franchise. And after Argylle, maybe Lipa deserves another shot at the spy business. We know at least one other actress that would love to go toe-to-toe with her man.
The upcoming film will be the first produced under Amazon MGM’s creative control following its agreement with longtime franchise stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Dune director Denis Villeneuve is directing, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight writing the screenplay. Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing. Craig’s five-film run ended with 2021’s No Time to Die, which did something that the previous 24 official Bond films never dared to do: kill James Bond. Turner will be the seventh actor to play 007 after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Craig. Five years after Bond’s death, it looks like MI6 may finally have found his replacement. Now, let the casting of Q commence!
