It’s been over six years since Daniel Craig took his final bow as 007 in No Time to Die, and the search for his successor has become one of Hollywood’s most talked-about casting sagas. Now, the race appears to be narrowing — and one name is pulling ahead.
Multiple industry sources, including Guardian journalist and The Rest Is Entertainment podcast host Marina Hyde, have said that Jacob Elordi has “moved into pole position” for the Bond role, with reports suggesting the Australian actor has met and screen-tested for Bond 26 director Denis Villeneuve.
Who is Jacob Elordi?
If you’re not familiar with the name, you will be. Elordi, 28, is the Australian star of Euphoria, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, for which he received an Oscar nomination and won the Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor. He’s currently on cinema screens in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. Standing at 6’5″, Elordi fits the physical criteria of Ian Fleming’s more brutal conception of the character, and his performances have shown he can balance charm with menace — exactly the duality Bond requires.
If cast, Elordi would become the youngest actor ever to play 007, and only the second Australian to take the role after George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
What about the other frontrunners?
It wouldn’t be a Bond casting story without some serious competition. Callum Turner, 35, has held the top spot in the bookmakers’ market consistently since November 2025 and remains the Ladbrokes favourite, despite Elordi’s recent surge in industry buzz. Turner has been widely praised for his role in Masters of the Air, and there’s a compelling subplot: his fiancée is Dua Lipa, with reports circulating that she could record the Bond theme should he be confirmed as 007.
Then there’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who has been tantalisingly close to the role for years. Some newspapers in 2024 even suggested he had accepted the part — a claim that turned out not to be true — but he remains a firm third favourite in the bookies’ rankings.
When will we actually find out?
A final decision is expected to drop mid-2026, with production on Bond 26 set to begin in 2027 and a release planned for 2028. The film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). It will be the first Bond film under Amazon’s full creative control, following the departure of long-serving producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
Amazon MGM’s head of film has urged patience, saying the studio is “taking the time to do this with care and deep respect” — which essentially means: don’t hold your breath, but it’s coming.
For now, the smart money is quietly shifting towards Elordi. Watch this space.