Amazon MGM Studios is in the midst of a highly anticipated search for the next James Bond actor, but it offered no concrete casting news at this week’s CinemaCon, multiple news outlets report.
Courtenay Valenti, the studio’s head of film, said the studio is approaching the decision thoughtfully and with great respect for the franchise’s 64-year legacy.
“It is the dream of a lifetime for all of us to bring audiences this next chapter, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Ms. Valenti said.
CinemaCon is an annual film convention held in Las Vegas, where major studios present upcoming films to movie theater owners from around the world.
The studio has confirmed filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, known for the “Dune” films, has been hired to direct the next Bond installment, and Steven Knight, creator of “Peaky Blinders” has been asked to write the screenplay. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are also on board.
Actors rumored to be in contention for the Bond role include Jacob Elordi of “Frankenstein,” “Euphoria” and “Wuthering Heights”; Callum Turner of “The Boys in the Boat” and “The Last Letter From Your Lover”; and Louis Partridge of “Enola Holmes” and “Paddington 2.”
The late Sean Connery and Daniel Craig are widely regarded as giving the best portrayals of writer Ian Fleming’s British spy. Mr. Craig’s run as Bond ended in the 2021 film “No Time to Die.”
In 2022, Amazon paid more than $8 billion to acquire MGM Studios, largely with the spy series in mind.
• Juliet La Sala can be reached at jlasala@washingtontimes.com.
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