Bookmakers now name Callum Turner as the frontrunner to succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond.
Turner, 36, is one of three stars reportedly screen-testing for the role, alongside Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor.
His odds have been slashed by William Hill, with Turner now a 4/7 bet to become 007.
After taking full creative control of the James Bond franchise, Amazon appointed Amy Pascal and David Heyman as producers, with Dennis Villeneuve tapped up to direct the next film from a screenplay by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Nina Gold is in charge of the casting effort.
What has Callum Turner been in?
Turner’s recent credits include A24’s romantic comedy Eternity, Apple TV’s Masters of the Air, Universal’s 2026 film One Night Only and indie projects such as Rose of Nevada and Rosebush Pruning.
As well as bookies’ odds, there are other clues suggesting Turner could be handed the big part.
Turner has stepped down as director of his production company, Twentytwo Films Ltd.
Moreover, the 36-year-old has been touted by Showbiz411 reporter Roger Friedman as the new Bond.
This has raised eyebrows, as Friedman was at the forefront of announcing Craig as Bond over 20 years ago.
Also working in favour of Turner is a ringing endorsement from former Bond Pierce Brosnan.
Turner starred as Brosnan’s son in the 2017 drama The Only Living Boy in New York, and the veteran actor described the would-be Bond as “so strong”.
Who else is in the running?
The Fantastic Beasts star is one of three names in the running, alongside fellow 36-year-olds Lowden, of Slow Horses fame, and O’Connor, of every indie movie fame.
Brosnan was full of praise for them as well, telling Vanity Fair, “All the men who are on the list now are actors I admire. They all have a voice and a physique, and a presence on film. They all have longevity as actors, all of these young men.”
Lowden, 15/8 with bookies, told GQ, “It’s nice to be mentioned – for any role – and I’m just not really going to add to the noise.”
O’Connor, meanwhile, told the BBC, “To be considered in that same sort of bracket is extraordinary.
“It’s an incredibly bizarre pinch-me moment … even being uttered in that same sentence and being considered for something like that.”
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