Amazon MGM Studios has taken creative control of the James Bond franchise as producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli step back, narrowing down casting via screen tests to announce the seventh actor to play 007.
The Bottom Line
- Amazon MGM Studios is actively conducting screen tests to select the seventh actor to portray James Bond following a shift in franchise creative control.
- Actors Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, and Jack Lowden are currently in the running for the iconic espionage role.
- The historic cinematic property spans 25 films across six previous actors since its inception from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novels.
The Shift in Creative Control at Amazon MGM Studios
Fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond was created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who penned 12 novels and two short-story collections about the character. Other authors continued writing Bond novels following Fleming’s death in 1964. Over the decades, 25 films have been produced in the franchise, featuring six different actors portraying the stealthy sleuth, also known as Agent 007. Now, Amazon MGM Studios is taking creative control of the spy franchise as long-time producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli step back.
Screen Tests Underway for the Seventh 007
With the studio preparing to make more films in the storied franchise, casting has narrowed down to active screen tests. Amazon MGM Studios plans to soon announce the seventh actor who will appear as 007. Contenders currently in the running to portray Bond in the next film include Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, and Jack Lowden.
A Legacy Spanning Six Decades
Sean Connery was the first actor to portray Agent 007 on the big screen in Dr. No (1962), followed by From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and the non-Eon production Never Say Never Again (1983). George Lazenby took over the agent’s mantle for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Roger Moore subsequently set a record by starring in seven movies as Agent 007: Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), and A View to a Kill (1985). Timothy Dalton portrayed Bond in two films, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), before Pierce Brosnan stepped into the role for GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002).
Daniel Craig most recently donned the suit from 2006 to 2021, starring in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and concluding his tenure with No Time To Die (2021). Craig will next appear as Uncle Andrew in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, arriving in theaters in February.
