Josh O'Connor, the BAFTA-nominated actor who played Prince Charles in The Crown, says he feels deeply honored to be talked about as the next James Bond, though he refused to go any further.
The 36-year-old made the remarks while opening a new education and community center at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the town where he grew up.
He described being mentioned in connection with the role as a surreal moment, then told questioners he had nothing more to share.
It's an incredibly bizarre pinch me moment…even being uttered in that same sentence and being considered for something like that.
Josh O'Connor, actor
A crowded field of contenders
O'Connor, a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, has been linked to the part alongside Callum Turner and Jack Lowden. He is thought to be among the actors taking part in final auditions.
The eventual pick will follow Daniel Craig, who first played the spy in Casino Royale in 2006 and stepped away after No Time To Die in 2021, his fifth film. O'Connor worked with Craig in 2025's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Other names have circulated as well. British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton were tied to the role earlier, and Irish actor Paul Mescal has also been mentioned.
Who is making the next film
The new film, still without a title, will be directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is writing the screenplay, and Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing.
Pascal said in recent months that naming the new 007 before the year is out was likely, while acknowledging that Craig would be difficult to replace.
