Two more names enter the final round
Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult have joined the group of actors who recently screen tested for the role of the next James Bond, according to Deadline, which cited insiders. The pair tested alongside Jack Lowden, Josh O'Connor and Callum Turner, the outlet reported. Deadline said the final group was no larger than five performers, and that a fifth test was arranged at the last minute, though it did not identify which actor filled that slot. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment, the report added.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7]
How the search reached its final stage
According to Deadline, the search began in the spring, when the studio revealed that casting director Nina Gold had joined the project and that a new lead was being sought. After about two months of meetings, the outlet said a first round of auditions was set for August. From there, the studio, director Denis Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman trimmed the candidates to a final group and arranged test offers in September.[S1]
The screen tests had initially been set for earlier in October, but conflicts in the finalists' schedules pushed them to the close of the month so that they could be staged around the same time, Deadline reported. The outlet noted that the exact timing of the final decision remains unknown, though many close to the process expect an announcement by the end of the month, potentially ahead of Thanksgiving.[S1]
