Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult have entered the 007 casting race

Casting the new James Bond is a cloak-and-dagger business at Amazon. Several entertainment outlets, including Variety, report that two serious (and previously mysterious!) contenders for the super-spy role have emerged: Robert Pattinson and Nicolas Hoult, big franchise names both, are in the running to play Amazon’s first 007 since the company acquired full creative control of the Bond franchise in February 2025. Previously, rumor-mongers held that the casting race had winnowed down to a two-horse race between Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, no, the jokes are too easy) and Callum Turner, with names like Josh O’Conner and even, saints preserve us, Harry Styles said to have tested for Bond. With bigger names like Hoult and Pattinson running around—both of whom know their way around a tentpole production and look rather smashing in suits—one wonders whether Amazon is looking for a more franchise-seasoned candidate or if they just like the idea of the fella who’s played both Edward Cullen and Bruce Wayne running around the conversation like a feral badger. We sure hope it’s the latter, because talking about who’ll be the next James Bond has suddenly gotten a lot more fun.