Callum Turner has emerged as a strong favourite to inherit the 007 tuxedo for Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming cinematic iteration of James Bond, with bookmakers cutting his odds following a flurry of high-profile industry signals and a public endorsement from Pierce Brosnan.
Bookmaker Slashes Odds as Speculation Intensifies
- Bookmaker William Hill cut Turner’s odds from 3/1 to 8/13, with previous favourite Jack Lowden now at 2/1.
- Speculation intensified after Turner resigned as director of his production company, Twentytwo Films Ltd, alongside social media photographs featuring Halloween martinis with his wife, the musician Dua Lipa.
- Former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan publicly backed Turner, whom he previously worked with on the 2017 drama The Only Living Boy in New York, praising his strength.
The Shift in Betting Odds and Corporate Moves
Ten days after the final screentests wrapped for the most coveted role in British cinema, the betting markets moved sharply. William Hill shifted Turner’s odds to 8/13. Jack Lowden is now at 2/1, while Josh O’Connor is at 9/2, with Richard Madden, Robert Pattinson, and Joe Alwyn at 16/1.
The bookmaker adjustments followed a distinct paper trail. Over the weekend, news revealed that Turner had resigned as director of Twentytwo Films Ltd, the production company he founded last August with his wife, the musician Dua Lipa. Some took this as an indication that Turner’s movie priorities may now lie elsewhere.
Pierce Brosnan Backs Former Co-Star
Adding fuel to the fire, Pierce Brosnan weighed in during a recent interview with Vanity Fair. Brosnan, who played the British spy across four films beginning with 1995’s GoldenEye, specifically highlighted Turner from their shared history on The Only Living Boy in New York, stating that the younger actor is “so strong.” Brosnan added that all the men on the list have a voice and a physique, and a presence on film, and longevity as actors.
Turner, Lowden, and O’Connor are all 36-year-old white, heterosexual film stars. This suggests that whichever of them wins the role, the approach adopted by incoming owners of the brand Amazon MGM will not stray far from Ian Fleming’s template.
Lowden told GQ that the rumours linking him to the role were “all very flattering”, adding that he was “just not really going to add to the noise.” Meanwhile, O’Connor acknowledged the speculation in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, calling it an incredibly bizarre pinch-me moment.
| Actor | Previous Odds | Updated Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Callum Turner | 3/1 | 8/13 |
| Jack Lowden | – | 2/1 |
| Josh O’Connor | – | 9/2 |
| Richard Madden / Robert Pattinson / Joe Alwyn | – | 16/1 |
Producer Teases News by Year End
Producer Amy Pascal indicated that the news for the 26th film in the series is likely to be revealed “by the end of the year”. The upcoming feature follows Daniel Craig’s tenure, which concluded with 2021’s No Time to Die.
In February 2025, longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson sold creative control over the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios in a deal worth more than $1 billion. Producers Pascal and David Heyman were then brought on as producers of the new film, followed by Denis Villeneuve as director and Steven Knight as screenwriter. It is said to be scheduled for release in 2028.
While the exact timing of the announcement remains unconfirmed, the convergence of corporate restructuring, public endorsements, and dramatic shifts in the betting markets points directly toward a new era for 007.
