Robert Pattinson Reportedly Leads the Race to Be the Next James Bond
Robert Pattinson is reportedly the front-runner to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to Matthew Belloni, who made the case in his newsletter Puck. The Guardian carried the claim on 13 November 2026.
Belloni points to the terms offered to the actors in contention. He says Pattinson was offered a much larger fee than the other contenders, though he does not give a figure. He also says the other actors on the shortlist had to commit to four Bond films, while Pattinson's contract called for three.
Belloni reads those terms as a sign that Amazon MGM, the studio now behind the franchise, is willing to give something up to get a well-known name at the front of its most important series. In his view, the studio is willing, or even eager, to accept a shorter commitment for a star with a big name.
Before screen tests began, each contender was offered what Belloni calls "test deals", agreements that set out terms before the audition process started. He also suggests the producers were not fully happy with their original three-name shortlist. That, he argues, is why more established names were brought into the process.
Industry reports had earlier named Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O'Connor as being on the producers' shortlist. Later reports said Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult were also being tested. Nothing in these reports has been announced by the studio.
The film, which the franchise calls Bond 26, will be the first made under Amazon MGM's ownership. The studio struck a creative-control deal with Eon, the company behind the series, in 2025. Eon's long-time producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal oversee the project. Denis Villeneuve is directing, and Steven Knight is writing the script.
For a franchise that has changed hands and leaders several times, the casting of the lead is a major decision. The actor chosen will carry the role into a new era for the series, and the terms reported so far suggest the studio has already put real money and time into that choice.
