Relatively unknown British actor Jack Barton is topping the James Bond shortlist ahead of bigger-name rivals
Jack Barton, seen here in SAS: Rogue Heroes, is described by insiders as 'The One' for Bond — trained at the Oxford School of Drama, he is best known for playing villain David Nelson in Heartstopper.Jack Lowden is among five other actors on the shortlist alongside surprise frontrunner Jack Barton, with screen tests for the 007 role set to begin in early September.Callum Turner, whose Bond odds have collapsed to just 15% on Polymarket after his film 'One Night Only' flopped, remains among the six-man screen test shortlist.Jacob Elordi, one of six actors reportedly shortlisted for James Bond, faces screen tests in early September as producer Amy Pascal aims to confirm the new 007 before the year is out.Paul Mescal is among the six shortlisted actors set to screen test for James Bond in early September, with casting director Nina Gold leading the search for 007.Harris Dickinson is among the six finalists vying for 007, with Amazon MGM Studios said to be seeking an entirely new energy for the Bond franchise.
Jack Barton, 31, a little-known British actor best recognised for playing the homophobic brother David Nelson in Netflix's 'Heartstopper' and John Tonkin in BBC drama 'SAS: Rogue Heroes', has reportedly surged to the top of Amazon MGM Studios' shortlist to become the next 007. Screen tests for a final six candidates are set to begin in early September, with Bond 26 — directed by Denis Villeneuve with a script by Steven Knight — due out sometime between late 2027 and early 2028. Producer Amy Pascal has said she hopes to have the new Bond confirmed by the end of this year, with filming pencilled in for early 2027.
Barton is reportedly a personal favourite of director Denis Villeneuve, who is said to want an unknown Brit somewhere around his late twenties to early thirties.
His higher-profile rivals set to screen-test include Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Paul Mescal, Jacob Elordi and Harris Dickinson — though Callum Turner's Polymarket odds have collapsed from 50% to just 15% after his film 'One Night Only' flopped.
A fresh twist has emerged: Saoirse Ronan is reportedly eyeing the role of a 'young female villain', raising the prospect of Bond and nemesis being played by real-life married couple Ronan and Jack Lowden.
