After a landmark deal, Amazon MGM now has full creative control of the James Bond franchise, leaving the iconic British spy in new hands following Daniel Craig's memorable send-off in 2021's No Time to Die.
While longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have left Bond behind, the decision to hire Dune director Denis Villeneuve to helm the next instalment has helped convince fans of the long-running spy franchise to give Amazon a chance. Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) is writing the script, but who will play the new 007?
The latest casting rumour—and it is very much just a rumour—comes from Variety. According to the trade, Enola Holmes and Disclaimer star Louis Partridge may be "in contention for the job."
However, making it clear that this is far from a sure thing, the report adds, "Attempts to confirm with Partridge's reps or Amazon MGM Studios have been as predictably futile as any Bond villain's wildly-complicated plans for global domination."
It's said that Partridge's potential casting lines up with rumblings about new Bond producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman wanting a "fresh-faced" 007, and at 23, the British actor is certainly that.
This would make Partridge the youngest Bond to date, and as one producer points out, "Writing a film to be led by a 23-year-old is completely different to writing one for a 36-year-old — they’re just totally different." That's noteworthy because House of Guinness star James Norton, 40, is also supposedly being "considered."
There's been some speculation that Amazon MGM might reveal the next Bond at CinemaCon next week. However, based on past experience, it's more likely that a splashy reveal would take place in the UK down the line.
"It has always been on my bucket list, and it's fantastic to be invited to do it - I can't wait to get started," Knight, who worked on the Star Wars: Rey movie for a time, said earlier this year. "I'm hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that's the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder."
Later, he said that he's having "a fantastic time" working on Bond, adding, "Obviously, with Bond, what you're dealing with is now a character of folklore, really. It's like Robin Hood or King Arthur, in the context of the culture of this country and beyond. And so you've got to treat it with respect."
Stay tuned for updates on the next 007 as we have them.