Apple TV+'s acclaimed espionage drama Slow Horses is experiencing renewed viewer interest as its breakout star, Jack Lowden, remains at the center of conflicting reports over who will succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. At the end of October 2026, more than seven years after Craig stepped down from the role following No Time To Die, Amazon MGM Studios appears close to finalizing its choice for the eighth actor to portray 007 on the big screen.
While bookmakers in the United Kingdom have installed the 36-year-old Scottish actor as the odds-on favorite to take over the iconic MI6 mantle, competing industry whispers suggest he faces stiff competition from Australian actor Jacob Elordi. Regardless of who ultimately secures the tuxedo, the intense casting spotlight has drawn fresh attention to Lowden's Emmy-nominated performance as MI5 agent River Cartwright opposite Gary Oldman on Apple TV+.
Conflicting Reports on the Final 007 Screen Tests
The race to cast the lead in the upcoming James Bond reboot has reached a critical stage, though industry insiders and oddsmakers are split on the final outcome. According to The Scotsman, Lowden is the clear frontrunner at 4/5 odds to become the first Scottish actor to play the famous spy since Sean Connery. Lowden's odds narrowed sharply after author and television host Richard Osman stated on The Rest is Entertainment podcast that the Slow Horses star would be handed the part. Trailing Lowden in the betting markets is Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner, who sits in second place with 5/2 odds following his marriage to pop star Dua Lipa.
However, a contrasting report from GeekTyrant cites industry insider Jeff Sneider, who claims that screen tests for the upcoming film have officially wrapped with both Lowden and the 29-year-old Elordi competing in the final rounds. According to Sneider's report, Elordi emerged at the top of the testing process, with an official studio announcement expected soon.
Amazon MGM Studios has not confirmed either actor's casting, leaving the rumor mill churning. The potential selection of Elordi—known for his roles in HBO's Euphoria, Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, Saltburn, and as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein—has sparked debate among franchise purists. Some critics on social media have pushed back against the idea of casting an Australian actor, even dubbing him "Temu007." Still, non-English actors have a long history with the character, including fellow Australian George Lazenby in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan beginning with 1995's GoldenEye, and Scotsman Sean Connery. At 6-foot-5, Elordi would also stand as the tallest Bond in history, towering three inches over Connery and seven inches above Craig.
How the 007 Spotlight Boosts 'Slow Horses'
For fans of British espionage television, Lowden's prominent placement in the Bond conversation serves as validation for his work on Slow Horses. Having first gained widespread recognition in the 2016 BBC miniseries adaptation of War & Peace before appearing in feature films such as Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots, and the television drama The Gold, Lowden has reached his largest global audience to date on Apple TV+.
In Slow Horses, Lowden plays River Cartwright, an ambitious MI5 intelligence officer exiled to Slough House—an administrative purgatory for disgraced agents led by the irascible Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman. While Cartwright frequently bungles field operations in contrast to 007's polished precision, the role has served as a high-profile audition tape demonstrating Lowden's command of action choreography, thriller pacing, and dry British wit. For viewers curious to see how Lowden handles the spy genre, the ongoing casting cycle has made the Apple TV+ series essential viewing, turning his transition from fictional MI5 outcast to potential MI6 icon into a major talking point for the streaming platform.
A New Creative Era at Amazon MGM Studios
The shifting dynamics of the casting search reflect a major behind-the-scenes overhaul for the Bond property. In 2024, reports circulated that Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson had been offered and accepted the role, but that scenario never materialized. The pivot away from Taylor-Johnson coincided with a historic change in leadership: in 2025, longtime franchise stewards Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson—who had handpicked every 007 actor since the 1990s—signed an agreement handing full creative control of the property to Amazon MGM Studios.
Under Amazon's direct oversight, the untitled No Time To Die follow-up has assembled a heavyweight filmmaking team. As noted by Inside the Magic, the reboot will be directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. Veteran studio producers Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter franchise) are attached to produce the feature, while rumors regarding the next leading actress have placed Sydney Sweeney among the top contenders.
The Broader Expansion of the James Bond Universe
While audiences await confirmation on whether Lowden, Elordi, or another contender will lead Villeneuve's theatrical feature, the 007 property is aggressively expanding across other media formats in 2026 and 2027. In the video game sector, developer IO Interactive launched the action-adventure title 007 First Light, which features Dexter: Original Sin actor Patrick Gibson portraying a young James Bond.
In audio entertainment, Big Finish Productions cast The Crown Season 6 actor Isaac Rouse as the voice of a teenage spy in Young Bond: SilverFin, an adaptation of Charlie Higson's 2005 novel detailing Bond's first year at Eton before his expulsion. The audio drama features Charlotte McBurney as Wilder Lawless alongside a supporting voice cast that includes Miriam Margolyes, Paterson Joseph, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Raison, William Hope, Timothy Bentinck, Lucy Fleming, Harry Marcus, Christopher Nathan, Penelope Rawlins, and Higson himself playing mentor Michael Merriot.
The literary and comic book divisions are equally active. Recent book releases include Kim Sherwood's third Double O novel Hurricane Room, Vaseem Khan's Quantum of Menace, and Higson's King Zero, with upcoming titles including The Man with the Golden Compass and M.W. Craven's James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy. Meanwhile, IDW Publishing is preparing a new comic series titled Sunbreaker written by Grant Morrison, and Titan Comics is set to release Ian Fleming's James Bond Signature Comic Strip Collection Vol. 1 in hardcover on February 23, 2027.
