James Bond 26: Everything We Know So Far

There’s nothing Brits and Bond fans alike love more than a healthy dose of speculation. Rumours about who might be the next James Bond and what EON’s 26th film might look like predate the most recent film, No Time To Die (2021). And, at the end of that film, the words ‘James Bond will return’ appear on screen, fitting the long tradition. But when? And who will take the baton from Daniel Craig to become the eighth James Bond in cinema?

With a director announced and a new name in the rumour mill, here’s everything we know so far.

The Director: Denis Villenueve

Denis Villeneuve will direct the next James Bond film. The Canadian director’s CV boasts high-octane flicks from Blade Runner 2049 to Arrival and, most recently, the Dune reboot.

‘Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007,’ Villeneuve said in a statement. ‘I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory.’

With Amazon acquiring ‘creative control’ of the Bond franchise from long-time custodians and half siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, fans feared the 007 legacy was set to be destroyed, with commercialisation and streaming fears top of the agenda. In appointing a die-hard Bond fan as the 26th film’s director, however, Amazon may be hoping to assuage these fears.

The Writer: Steven Knight

Despite Broccoli’s very vocal endorsement of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the next Bond director and writer, it seems Amazon has plumped for an all-male duo at the fore. British screenwriter Steven Knight is busy working on the Bond 26 script, after being announced as the lead writer in July 2025 – though of course the whole thing is based on Ian Fleming’s characters.

Having created SAS Rogue Heroes, A Thousand Blows, House of Guinness and, of course, Peaky Blinders, it is thought Knight will inject a hefty dose of grit into Bond 26. Indeed, it has been reported that Knight has been in direct conversations with SAS operators and military personnel with the hopes of rooting the espionage film in real-world authenticity.

Fittingly, on casting the next Bond, Michael G. Wilson said in 2022: ‘We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualise it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something.’

The Next Bond Actor

Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have played James Bond so far across the franchise’s 25 films. And Brit Aaron Taylor-Johnson seems the most likely bet for the next Bond thanks to his ambassadorship of Swiss watch brand OMEGA. Bond and OMEGA have been aligned since 1995 (when Brosnan came into the role); since then, Bond has worn an OMEGA Seamaster, and the brand has launched special watches for fans of the film to snap up.

Rising to fame in teen rom-com Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) and John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy (2009), Taylor-Johnson is best known for his action roles, including Kick-Ass (2010), Tenet (2020) and Bullet Train (2022). He would be the eighth actor to play the famed spy in EON’s canonical film history, joining Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

An unnamed source previously said: ‘Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back. As far as EON is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.’

Of course, that didn’t happen, so it’s not a done deal just yet. Which brings us to the latest name in the rumour mill: Jack Lowden. This Scottish star is best known for his part in Slow Horses (2022–), though he also has credits in Wolf Hall (2015), The Gold (2023–25) and Fighting with My Family (2019), with an upcoming turn as Mr Darcy in Netflix’s Pride & Prejudice miniseries.

Lowden has been named a possible bond many times before, along with names like Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, James Norton, Theo James, Henry Cavill, Josh O’Connor, Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Lucien Laviscount and Stuart Martin. The latest spike in interest comes courtesy of The Thursday Murder Club author and The Rest is Entertainment co-host Richard Osman who said in the most recent podcast episode: ‘Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day. But, I mean, that’s happened before.

‘The name I’ve heard is Jack Lowden,’ the entertainment commentator continued. ‘It is definitively not a “he’s definitely got it” thing. He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he’d be amazing.’ In conversation with his co-host Marina Hyde, Osman added he thinks the Scot would make ‘an incredible Bond’ thanks to his ‘real Daniel Craig energy’.

Most stars deny – and even laugh at – implications they might be the next Bond. Addressing the rumours in Numero magazine, Taylor-Johnson said it is ‘charming and wonderful that people see me in that role’ and that he ‘[takes] it as a great compliment’.

This all said, Cavill has a very real connection to the role that shouldn’t be brushed aside: he was on the shortlist for Casino Royale back in 2005, with the job eventually being given to Craig. A budding star in his early twenties, Cavill was ultimately considered too young. Now aged 43, he may be in his prime: Dalton debuted as Bond aged 41, Brosnan aged 42, and Moore aged 45. Taylor-Johnson and Lowden, meanwhile, are both 36. Our most recent Bond, Craig, was 37 when he started shooting Casino Royale.

The Plot

Other than that real-world grit and SAS vibe, there’s not much else we know about the Bond 26 plot. On multiple occasions, however, Broccoli described Bond 26 as a ‘reinvention’. Back in June 2022, she told Deadline: ‘We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time.’ But with Broccoli being pushed out by Amazon, who knows?

Bond 26 Release Date

Bond 26 director Villeneuve has been busy working on Dune: Part Three, set to be released on 18 December 2026. Rumours therefore put Bond 26‘s release date way out in 2028, with hopes of naming the next Bond actor by the end of 2026. Filming will then take place at some point in 2027.

By 2028, seven years will have passed between Daniel Craig’s finale and the new Bond’s debut. That seems like a long time, but there was a six-year chasm between Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021), and that’s when Craig was already locked in. If there’s one thing Bond fans can boast, it’s patience…

WATCH

All 25 Bond films are available to stream on Prime Video. UK Bond fans can enjoy a selection of the films for free on ITVX.