One Of Hollywood's Biggest Stars Just Auditioned For James Bond

Published Nov 7, 2026, 9:51 AM EST Tomas Franzese is the Weekend News Editor at Polygon, following and reporting on the latest goings-on in the gaming and entertainment spaces. During the week, you can find him working on Remastered, his newsletter about video game history and retro gaming, or contributing to GameSpot and other publications. Previously, Tomas was the Gaming Segment Lead at XDA and a Staff Writer at Digital Trends. Robert Pattinson might be our next James Bond Image: IO Interactive via Polygon Sign in to your Polygon.com account As auditions for the next James Bond continue, new names are emerging and revealing which actors are up for the role. The latest on this from The Hollywood Reporter was particularly surprising, as it revealed some A-list Hollywood talent screen-tested for 007. Robert Pattinson is up for the role of James Bond The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Robert Pattinson tested alongside other actors for James Bond during the week of Oct. 24, but his name has only emerged now, around two weeks after it happened. Amazon, which now owns the rights to the franchise, has not commented on this and likely won't say anything until they officially cast a new James Bond. While Twilight is what put Robert Pattinson on the map, he has since gone on to have a great career that spans critically acclaimed films like The Lighthouse and Primetime as well as crowd-pleasing blockbusters like The Batman and The Odyssey. He recently worked with director Denis Villeneuve, who's making the next Bond flick, on Dune: Part 3, and seemingly left a strong impression. While the James Bond role historically hasn't gone to actors quite as famous as Pattinson is (it's often a star-making role itself), casting Pattinson would certainly draw eyes to Bond's return. Pattinson is far from the only actor currently up for James Bond, though. The Hollywood Reporter also revealed that Nicholas Hoult, who portrayed Lex Luthor in Superman, tested for the role alongside previously known names like Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, and Josh O'Connor. One insider claims Turner has already been cast, but this new reporting suggests that may not be the case. For now, all we can do is wait for an official James Bond casting announcement, as studios tend not to comment on casting speculation like this. While the next James Bond film still does not have a theatrical release date, I'd expect that to change quickly once Villeneuve wraps up work on Dune: Part 3 and the starring role is cast.