For James Bond devotees, one question has become an all-consuming fixation: who will inherit the 007 tuxedo?
The clues may appear to be everywhere, but so far they have led even the most committed armchair detectives nowhere.
Several actors have been presented as near-certain favourites, only to be replaced by fresh speculation about those supposedly testing for the part. In the notoriously chatty world of showbusiness, it is unusual to see a secret guarded quite so successfully.
The Mail on Sunday can now disclose the extraordinary measures taken by the producers to protect their operation. Amazon MGM Studios has mounted a security effort worthy of M herself, determined to prevent not only photographs but even the smallest detail about Daniel Craig’s replacement from emerging.
Insiders have described to the MoS the remarkable secrecy surrounding the auditions, revealing how far Bond’s new owners are prepared to go in their search for the actor who will inherit one of cinema’s most prestigious roles and potentially spend the next decade as the world’s best-known spy.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson controlled the Bond franchise for 30 years before selling it to streaming giant Amazon in February last year for a reported $1 billion. Since then, seemingly every suitably handsome young actor has been linked to the role. The shortlist at the end of last month reportedly included Callum Turner, known for Fantastic Beasts, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, The Crown actor Josh O’Connor and a mysterious ‘fourth man’, whose identity remains the subject of intense debate.
Callum Turner and Jack Lowden have both auditioned for the role of Bond
The Crown actor Josh O’Connor is believed to be among the contenders for 007
Black Mercedes limousines transported the hopefuls through the main gates of Bray Studios in Berkshire, now owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a lifelong Bond admirer. The sprawling complex includes huge sound stages, offices and the 18th-century country house Down Place. Tucked between an A-road, the River Thames and open fields, it offers considerable protection from curious onlookers.
One source said: ‘There was a section of the studio that could be accessed only with a special pass. Inside that restricted area was a safe room, and anyone entering had to leave their bags and mobile phones outside.
‘The audition scripts contained scenes from earlier Bond films and were printed in a special red ink that could not be copied or photographed. Every script carried its own watermark. There were more security guards than I have ever seen at a studio.’
Printing scenes from older films in red ink — despite their availability online — underlines the production team’s determination to ensure that nothing escapes.
When Turner arrived at Bray three Saturdays ago amid torrential rain, photographers and fans hoping to identify the 36-year-old were thwarted by a series of unusually sophisticated security precautions.
One photographer said: ‘A professional camera lens can normally see through a windscreen, but the glass had been specially treated. You see similar vehicles around places such as Downing Street.
‘Just before the car departed, two security guards arrived at the entrance in a Bond-style golf buggy and stood in the rain as the vehicle swept through. There was a great deal of discreet conversation over the radios.’
The photographer added that the studio had strengthened its defences by installing coverings over the gates to obstruct outside views.
Inside the audition safe room was the select team responsible for choosing the next 007, who is expected to begin filming ‘Bond 26’ next spring.
Production is expected to last nine months, with a worldwide cinema release planned for November 2028. That would make the wait between Bond 26 and Craig’s final outing, No Time To Die in 2021, the longest gap between films in the franchise’s history.
The auditions took place at Bray Studios in Berkshire, now owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
The cars had such heavily darkened windows that photographers could not see who was inside
Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose next movie Dune: Part Three is expected to be a major Christmas box-office draw when it arrives next month, was reportedly joined by British casting director Nina Gold and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman. Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, was also present.
A two-person camera and sound crew recorded the screen tests. The footage was then flown by private jet to Hollywood, where Bezos and Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, reviewed it.
Sending even an encrypted copy online was considered too dangerous because of the possibility of a hack.
Gold is highly respected in Hollywood for her ‘exceptional eye’ when identifying emerging performers and helping turn them into international stars. She played a key role in casting Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
She also cast the first three seasons of The Crown and helped assemble the huge ensemble of Game Of Thrones, which propelled Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Sophie Turner to global fame.
According to a studio source, the Bond candidates were judged on their ‘camera presence and dialogue’. They performed scenes from earlier films, including Casino Royale, GoldenEye and From Russia With Love.
They were also asked to enter and leave through a false door before carrying out ‘a stunt’. Exactly what that stunt involved remains unclear, the source said, ‘because so few people know about it’.
The source said: ‘The actors were given plenty of time on camera. Everyone understands how important this decision is. Whoever gets the role will become part of cinematic history. People are speculating constantly, but only a small number know the truth. Everyone else will learn it when Amazon issues a statement, which is expected before the end of the year.’
Debbie McWilliams, who worked on every Bond film from For Your Eyes Only in 1981 until her retirement after No Time To Die, has previously described the qualities required to play the spy. Craig’s Bond was killed in a missile strike at the end of that film.
Speaking to 007.com, McWilliams said: ‘They either have it or they do not. It really is that simple. You need the confidence that comes from knowing who you are. Daniel Craig exceeded my expectations. He has been brilliant.
‘There can hardly be an actor anywhere who would turn down a role in a James Bond film. But the first requirement is that you must be a brilliant actor.’
The current process appears to reflect McWilliams’s approach, which involved asking candidates to perform a scene from an earlier film rather than using material from the forthcoming production. ‘I never used the script that was going to be shot,’ she said.
The new Bond screenplay is understood to be unfinished. Even if it were complete, however, the casting team would reportedly avoid using it during auditions because of the risk that confidential material could be exposed.
‘The last time we auditioned, we screen-tested quite a few people. Choosing Bond is an enormous decision and cannot be taken lightly because so much depends on it,’ McWilliams said.
‘It is extraordinary to see how someone changes once they are in the suit, have the haircut and are put through all the tests. You put on the clothes and become something else — that is the magic. It requires acting ability as well as physicality.
‘Ultimately, you have to be the complete package.’
The secrecy surrounding the latest auditions is a sharp contrast with previous Bond casting sessions, some of which can be watched on YouTube.
Several actors who auditioned without success went on to become familiar faces.
When Roger Moore suggested he might step away after For Your Eyes Only, American actor James Brolin — now married to Barbra Streisand — tested for the role using what was described as a questionable English accent. He came close to securing the part before Moore agreed to return.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill auditioned in 1986 after Moore finally retired, but Timothy Dalton was chosen instead.
Rupert Friend was only 23 when he tested for Bond in 2005. Although he was rejected, he soon appeared in Pride & Prejudice and later played a CIA agent in the acclaimed spy drama Homeland.
Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney have both been mentioned as possible Bond girls
Australian actor Sam Worthington also tested that year, later admitting that he struggled with ‘the suave stuff’. He missed out on 007, but four years later James Cameron’s Avatar made him a worldwide star.
The Amazon source maintains that the next Bond will be British. They said: ‘Jeff Bezos has insisted on that.
‘James Bond is British and always will be. Jeff’s favourite is Sean Connery, which is why Jack Lowden, who is Scottish, has remained a frontrunner for so long.’
The betting picture has shifted, however. Turner has moved from second place — behind Lowden, star of Slow Horses — to the top spot. As Katie Hind reported in this newspaper last week, Turner and his pop star partner Dua Lipa are viewed as a potential ‘power couple’ who could generate enormous social media attention if he became Bond and she performed the theme song.
The Amazon source said: ‘With Callum and Dua, you effectively get a two-for-one package, and that is extremely tempting.’
O’Connor is reportedly third in the race. However, The Sun reported last week that one of his unnamed co-stars in a play had drunkenly claimed O’Connor told them he had secured the part.
The MoS reported last week that industry chatter had identified Australian actor Jacob Elordi as the mysterious ‘fourth man’ who joined the auditions at the last minute.
That claim came as news to a south-coast sailing club, which believes one of its former members is actually the secret candidate.
According to sources at the club, the dark-horse contender is Jack Barton, 31, known for Heartstopper and SAS: Rogue Heroes.
A source said: ‘Jack used to be a member and still keeps in touch with people here. The word is that he is the fourth man. It is all anyone at the club is talking about.’
As if the list of possibilities were not already long enough, two more names have now entered the Bond conversation.
On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Robert Pattinson, star of The Batman, screen-tested for the part last month.
The publication also named Nicholas Hoult, known for X-Men: First Class. Both actors have previously worked with Villeneuve.
Other sources have told the MoS that producers are making offers to potential Bond girls, with Euphoria stars Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya said to be under consideration.
One source said: ‘Sydney Sweeney appears likely to be a Bond girl unless her schedule creates a problem. The next Bond is expected to be younger because the producers want someone capable of making several films. Zendaya is another name attracting significant interest.’
Perhaps the most surprising claim to emerge in recent days is that Bezos, an unabashed Bond superfan, could make a brief appearance as a villain.
The Amazon source said: ‘It should not be ruled out. Since Amazon acquired the Bond rights, there have been plenty of jokes suggesting Jeff is a real-life Bond villain.
‘Someone even created an image of him as Blofeld, stroking a white cat, and he found it hilarious.’
It would not be the first time a famous figure has accepted a cameo in a Bond film.
Madonna appeared as a fencing instructor named Verity in Die Another Day, for which she also recorded the theme song. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson was seen as a passenger being searched at Miami Airport in Casino Royale.
Some fans fear Amazon could take Bond down the same path as Star Wars, expanding the universe with spin-off series and mediocre television productions.
The Amazon insider rejected those concerns, saying: ‘The team assembled to guide Bond into the future is second to none. We are confident that this iconic character can continue for many generations.
‘We are very close to announcing the next Bond, and he is in exceptionally safe hands.’