James Bond 26: Release date speculation, cast rumours and who could be the new 007?

"I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I'm a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he's sacred territory," the Dune director said in a statement.

"I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come."

Of course, while this news finally answers one of the biggest questions around Bond 26, it also throws wide open several others – not least the ever prominent debate as to who will actually be taking the Walther PPK from Daniel Craig.

Up until now, Aaron Taylor-Johnson had emerged as a major favourite for the role, so it will be interesting to see if that changes now we know the identity of the man behind the camera.

So what do we currently know about the new film, what will it be about, who will be playing the character and when will it be released?

Read on for everything we know so far about James Bond 26.

Will there be another James Bond movie?

Happily, we can confirm James Bond will return in another movie following the explosive events of No Time to Die.

In spite of the central character going up in flames at the film's end, it still concluded with the simple message: "James Bond will return."

As has happened in the past, the franchise is now expected to reboot, with the timeline of the Daniel Craig films left in the past and a new Bond with new canon introduced.

Bond 26 release date speculation

Back in 2021, we wrote that we were fairly confident fans wouldn't have to wait quite as long for Bond 26 as they had for No Time to Die, after there had been a six-year gap between Spectre and that film.

Unfortunately, that just shows how many bumps in the road there have been between No Time to Die's release and today, as four years later the next film in the franchise is still not in production as of summer 2025.

Still, we finally started seeing some movement in terms of the next film earlier this year, after a huge announcement was made.

In February, it was announced that Amazon MGM Studios would take over creative control of the franchise, with long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stepping back as part of a new joint venture agreement to house the James Bond intellectual property rights.

This means that Broccoli and Wilson will remain co-owners of the franchise alongside Amazon, but Amazon MGM Studios has gained creative rights.

When the deal was announced, Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement: "Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment.

"We are grateful to the late Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide.

"We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world."

Meanwhile, Broccoli said: "My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli.

"I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects."

Wilson added: "With my 007 career spanning nearly 60 incredible years, I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects. Therefore, Barbara and I agree, it is time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future."

Later that month, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that "we don’t have a plan yet on what the next theme is going to be", adding that "nobody’s written the story yet".

This seems to suggest that while work will now begin in earnest on the next Bond film, it will still be some time until we see it on the big screen.

The recent news that Denis Villeneuve has now signed on to direct the next outing is doubly promising: first of all the fact that such an acclaimed director has agreed to come on board at all is exciting, plus it suggests that progress on the new film may now kick up a few gears.

However, it's also worth noting that Villeneuve is currently working on a third Dune film, which has been rumoured to begin production this summer. Naturally that means that we're still a while off a shoot for Bond 26, although that does give the producers plenty of time to find their 007 and iron out the story for the next instalment.

Until we get any further information, we'd tentatively suggest that a 2027 release date for the film could just about be feasible. However, it could still end up being 2028 that we see it.

We will keep this page updated with any further news regarding the release date for the franchise's next instalment as we get it.

Who could be the next James Bond?

The conversation surrounding who will replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond feels like it's been going on for time immemorial, and while we will find out the answer sooner or later, it currently doesn't feel like we know much more than we did four years ago.

The name that has appeared the most in rumours over the past couple of years is 28 Years Later star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, with reports swirling in 2024 that he had been offered the role.

Nothing has come of it as of yet, but with plenty of switch-ups behind-the-scenes of late, it's hard to tell currently whether these have been in Taylor-Johnson's favour and if he will eventually be announced as Bond, or whether his name is no longer in contention.

If he is still in the running, he'll no doubt be pleased to hear that he has the backing of previous Bond star Pierce Brosnan, who told Yahoo! that he thought Taylor-Johnson "would be very good" in the role.

He said: “I cast him in one of the movies I made a long time ago called The Greatest, actually, and he played ‘the Greatest’. This young man came on the set and took the space, filled the space with passion and energy. So yeah, I think if he wished it, wanted it and got it, he would be great."

Other stars whose names have previously been in the mix include Tom Hardy, Rege-Jean Page, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba and Sam Heughan.

More recently James Norton has been repeatedly mentioned, but he has dismissed that he has been cast or is even in the running.

Meanwhile, Nine Perfect Strangers star Henry Golding has said that "it's a privilege to be in any conversation for a property like that", and One Day's Leo Woodall has said that while "that call hasn’t come yet", he would love to do something like playing Bond.

Josh O'Connor has said he has "no thoughts" on rumours saying he could be in contention, adding that if he's been cast he doesn't know about it, and Luke Evans has said it's "crazy" he's on any fan-casting or rumours lists, saying the fact that "people could see me as that role even being a gay man... means that we are progressing".

It will also be interesting to see if Denis Villeneuve's appointment as director will have any bearing on the choice of Bond. Naturally, a lot of high-profile actors who have worked with the Canadian auteur in the past – from Timothée Chalamet to Austin Butler – are likely to be thrown into the conversation, although both seem like outside bets at this stage.

The headline here, is that we still don't yet know who has been cast, or who even might actually be in the running behind closed doors. Hopefully we'll finally have some concrete news in the coming months, and once we do we will update this page.

Who could be in the Bond 26 cast?

With Craig confirmed to be leaving, the next big question is whether the rest of the supporting cast from his era will stick around or if they have already said farewell too. In the past, several actors – notably including Judi Dench as M – have appeared alongside more than one Bond actor, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case this time around.

The likes of Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux and Rory Kinnear have appeared in multiple Craig era films, while Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas both impressed in their 007 debuts in No Time to Die.

However, with the Craig era having been the first to have a real sense of continuity, it seems most likely that a full refresh is on the cards.

In 2024, Whishaw said that he didn't think he would be in the next film, adding: "I think they're going to start all over again with a new cast, a completely new cast. That's my hunch."

He did say that if he was asked then he definitely would star as Q again, but that he thinks "it might need a kind of new lease of life and a whole new group of people. I think it could be good for it".

We'll keep this page updated as and when we hear any more information about who might be returning to the Bond cast, as well as any announcements about brand new cast members.

Who will direct Bond 26?

We now know for certain who is directing the film: Denis Villeneuve. The Canadian auteur, whose mightily impressive filmography already includes the likes of Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune films.

In his statement confirming that he would be directing, Villeneuve professed himself as a 007 die-hard, and acknowledged that while the gig was a "massive responsibility" it was also "incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour".

He added: "Amy [Pascal], David [Heyman], and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust.”

Pascal and Heyman were announced as new producers for the franchise in March 2025, when they released a joint statement, reading: "James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema.

"We are humbled to follow in the footsteps of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson who made so many extraordinary films and honoured and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure."

In April, Amazon MGM's head of film, streaming and theatrical Courtenay Valenti said while speaking at CinemaCon that Pascal and Heyman were already "in London getting started" with work on the film.

Before Villeneuve was announced, several other big name directors had been linked. Christopher Nolan's name was consistently mentioned alongside the Bond franchise, given the director's acclaim and his own love of the material, while former James Bond director Martin Campbell, who previously ushered in the eras of both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, was also rumoured.

He previously said that he "wouldn't say no" to returning, adding: "The point is that I love Bond. Bond is something I grew up with, right? Way back to Dr No, when I took my mother to see it."

Other names which were circulating included Conclave's Edward Berger, although he said there was "no truth" whatsoever to rumours that he could direct the next film, and Venom: The Last Dance's Kelly Marcel, who called it "extraordinary" to be on a list of directors suggested as potential contenders.

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