UPDATE 9/8: Gary Oldman says Bond has already been picked but not announced, and writer Steven Knight refused to deny it, saying only that he cannot speak about the subject.
Test deals are starting to go out to the actors in the running to play James Bond for Amazon MGM.
That comes from Puck News’ Matt Belloni, who also threw cold water on the casting lists that have been making the rounds online. Belloni says those lists are “bogus.”
A test deal is the contract an actor signs before a screen test. It locks in pay and terms ahead of time, so if the studio picks that actor after the test, the deal is already done and Amazon can announce its Bond on the spot.
Per Belloni, the list of actors formally auditioning for director Denis Villeneuve should be known within the next couple of weeks. The screen tests themselves won’t happen until later this fall.
Writes Belloni: “anyone who says they know who Bond is now… doesn’t.”
About That Jack Barton Shortlist
Belloni’s timeline cuts against the last big Bond report.
Page Six reported on August 26 that screen tests were set to begin in early September, with Poor Things bit player Jack Barton the surprise favorite over Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson.
Belloni’s version says the tests are months out, not days, and the contender lists going around aren’t real.
The Lowden claim came with its own warning attached.
Richard Osman, who said in August that Lowden was being “strongly considered,” also pointed out that the public has been wrong about basically every Bond before the official announcement.
Where The Bond Timeline Stands Now
Producer Amy Pascal told Deadline last month that a casting announcement by the end of the year is “a good bet.”
Belloni’s reporting puts the audition list a couple of weeks out and the screen tests later this fall. That leaves the tests, the decision, and the announcement all packed into the last few months of the year.
The rest of the setup hasn’t changed. Villeneuve directs from a script by Steven Knight, Nina Gold is handling casting, and the movie is reportedly targeting 2028.
The first real names in this search should be known within the next couple of weeks.
