Variety, THR and Deadline report Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult screen-tested for 007. What is confirmed, what isn't and when to expect news.
Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are the latest names tied to the next James Bond. Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline all reported on Friday, Nov. 6, that Pattinson screen-tested for 007, and Variety and Deadline say Hoult did too. Deadline adds that the final group may have been five actors rather than four. None of it is official. As of Saturday, Nov. 7, Amazon MGM Studios has not announced a casting decision.
Who has screen-tested for the next James Bond?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pattinson, 40, is among those who tested, per "multiple sources," joining Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O'Connor. The trade says the tests took place the weekend of Oct. 24 and that it had previously reported four, possibly five, actors were in the mix, though only three names had surfaced.
Deadline and Variety name the same pair, with a caveat from Deadline. Its insiders say Pattinson and Hoult joined Lowden, O'Connor and Turner in recent tests, and that a fifth test was added "at the 11th hour." Deadline says it is unknown who that last addition was, and it noted Amazon could not be reached for comment. The Hollywood Reporter, for its part, calls Hoult another name now surfacing, without saying he tested.
Variety adds two more names to the conversation without saying they tested. It has learned that Harry Styles has had discussions about the part, and that Theo James, 41, hasn't been ruled out.
Why does the Pattinson and Hoult news matter?
Because both are established franchise actors. The Hollywood Reporter points out that Pattinson is already the face of DC Studios' Batman and is currently filming The Batman Part II in London, where it says the screen tests have been taking place. Variety notes that Hoult plays Lex Luthor in DC's Superman films, and that he next stars in Amazon MGM's How to Rob a Bank, in theaters Nov. 13.
There is also a direct link to the director. Denis Villeneuve is directing Bond 26, with Steven Knight writing the script and Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing, according to Variety. Pattinson worked with Villeneuve on Dune: Part Three, which The Hollywood Reporter says opens Dec. 18.
The Hollywood Reporter frames Pattinson as a break from the conventional wisdom that the next Bond would not be a globally recognized star. It is also the first Bond film since Amazon bought out the creative control from the Broccoli family in February 2025, per the same report. That context is why a casting like this would be a bigger signal than a normal studio pick.
What is confirmed and what is not?
- Reported from unnamed sources: Pattinson screen-tested (all three outlets) and Hoult did too (Variety and Deadline; The Hollywood Reporter says only that his name is surfacing).
- Reported, but unclear: who the fifth tester was, according to Deadline.
- Reported by Variety only: Styles has had discussions, and James is not ruled out.
- Not confirmed by anyone on the record: any casting decision. Variety also notes that Gary Oldman claimed the next Bond has already been picked, but no official announcement exists.
When will the new Bond be announced?
Nobody has given a date. Deadline says it is unknown when the decision will be made, though most people believe it will come by the end of the month and potentially before Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 26 this year. Treat that as industry expectation, not a schedule. The final tests were first planned for early October and were pushed to the end of the month because of scheduling conflicts, so this process has already slipped once.
Our take: a screen test is not a casting, and a list that keeps growing mostly tells us the studio is being careful. Given how many names have floated by since the spring, we would not bet on any single one until Amazon says so itself. Bond is already available on the game side, and we covered the 007 First Light free trial on PS5.
Related reading
Picture credit: Photos: C. Sturtevant, H. Krichel (CC BY-SA 4.0). Design: Savvy VibeZ
