The next James Bond has four names, a starting gun, and still no announcement
Amazon MGM's long-running 007 casting search finally hits its final round this week, with Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, and Josh O'Connor among the four actors set to screen-test for Denis Villeneuve's Bond 26.
In brief
The race for 007 just got very, very real
For months, the question of who replaces Daniel Craig as James Bond has been the film industry's favorite parlor game. Today, the guessing stopped being entirely theoretical. Deadline reported exclusively this morning that Amazon MGM Studios has set its final round of screen tests, beginning as early as Friday, October 23, and running through next week. At least four test offers have gone out. Three of the names, according to Deadline's insiders, are Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, and Josh O'Connor. The fourth has not leaked.
Variety confirmed the broad shape of the story, citing its own sources, and said the tests begin "as early as Friday." The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter also reported the news; THR named Lowden and Turner as finalists but did not include O'Connor on its list.
Tests were originally planned for earlier in October but were pushed back due to scheduling conflicts with the finalists, so the group could test in roughly the same window. Even with the tests wrapping next week, Deadline says there is no set timeline for a final decision. Most people tracking the process, per Deadline, believe an announcement comes by year's end.
Who's in, who's out, and what that means
Lowden has been the name with the most momentum heading into this final stretch. The Scottish actor plays MI5 agent River Cartwright in the Apple TV+ series "Slow Horses," earning two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Back in September, his co-star Gary Oldman gave what may go down as the franchise's most memorable non-sanctioned comment. Oldman told Canada's "The Morning Show": "It's been rumored that [Lowden] is on the shortlist. We're going to find out pretty soon, aren't we? Because they have picked him. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack."
That statement set off a weeks-long media spiral. Bond 26 screenwriter Steven Knight then seemed to suggest the actor had already been selected. "I cannot speak about this subject," he said when asked about casting on BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, before later acknowledging that knowing the chosen actor makes writing the character "a little bit easier."
Turner has been a fixture of Bond speculation for years. Turner has been a tabloid favorite for years but is coming off the frigid response to this summer's "One Night Only." O'Connor is the genuinely surprising name here. O'Connor hasn't been part of the Bond rumor mill at all, and on paper the actor doesn't exactly embody the qualities one typically associates with Ian Fleming's spy. He's best known to American audiences as Patrick in "Challengers," the film that made him a legitimate movie star last year. Page Six previously claimed the frontrunner was Jack Barton, an unknown actor, and there's a live theory that this mysterious fourth finalist could be that unknown quantity.
One prominent name is definitively off the board. "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi isn't testing and is no longer in the mix, according to multiple outlets. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is also absent from the final round.
A franchise rebuilt from scratch
The stakes here go beyond any individual actor. The next Bond film will be the first installment since longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson ceded full creative control of the franchise to the studio. Broccoli and Wilson are no longer choosing the actor who will play the role. That decision is being made by a new team led by director Denis Villeneuve, casting director Nina Gold, and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman.
Oscar-nominated "Dune" filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the first new installment of the franchise since Daniel Craig's farewell in 2021's "No Time to Die." Amazon MGM Studios hired "Peaky Blinders" creator Steven Knight to write the screenplay for the 26th James Bond film. The formal casting search began in spring 2026. Filming is expected to begin in 2027, with the movie currently targeting a 2028 release, according to Deadline.
Producer Amy Pascal told Deadline that a casting announcement by the end of 2026 is "a good bet." Villeneuve, for his part, has described the Bond franchise as a "powerful rocket" that will reset his creative trajectory after spending a decade working on the "Dune" trilogy.
So the machine is running. Four men are walking into a room this week in front of Nina Gold, Denis Villeneuve, Amy Pascal, and David Heyman. One of them, if Gary Oldman and Steven Knight's loaded non-denials mean anything, may already know how this ends.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
