The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[James]

I am logging on with Safari or Google Chrome all the time. It only did that the other day and then it stopped and I changed NOTHING. Sometimes this website goes off kilter for unknown reasons. Where did newbie Datmate go?

If you google 'James Bond forum' the DCINB forum used to be about the third Bond forum that came up in the search. Now this forum seems to have completely vanished from the google search pages altogether. I have no idea why.

[James]

The general consensus on MI6 seems to be that the next Bond will be either Harris Dickenson or Callum Turner. Neither of them look anything like Bond to me. I think Amazon taking over has coincided with a period where there are not really any obvious or strong James Bond candidates who are the right age.

[Kristatos]

I haven't seen it, but Dickinson apparently played a Bond-type role in The King's Man. The photos I've seen of him suggest that he could be an OK choice; not especially exciting, but not weird and off-putting like Craig.

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[James]

I had a watch of The King's Man (It isn't very good) and Dickinson does look better onscreen than in his photographs. He's quite foppish and mannered though. He'd be one of those those actors where if he was cast you'd think they could have done a lot better. I think Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the most Bond looking of the candidates but he doesn't seem to be everyone's cup of tea.

[James]

https://deadline.com/2025/09/james-bond ... /#comments

Denis Villeneuve To Start Casting For An “Unknown” Brit Actor For ‘Bond 26’ When He Completes ‘Dune: Part Three’ — Breaking Baz

By Baz Bamigboye

EXCLUSIVE: Denis Villeneuve will embark on the search for an actor to play the world’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond, next year when he completes production on Dune: Part Three. Those familiar with the matter tell us that the director and his collaborators are seeking a “fresh face” to take on the 007 mantle in Bond 26. Also, Bond … James Bond will be male, as written by creator Ian Fleming, and importantly, will be an actor who hails from the British isles. Yes, they want a Brit to play Bond. That rules out fanciful speculation that the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell, Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi and others who don’t hail from UK shores are in the running.

Frankly, 99.9% of the names we’ve heard speculated online so far won’t make the cut. Those in the know tell us the ideal approach is to cast “an unknown,” possibly in his late 20s or early 30s, to play what Fleming called “a blunt instrument” — the lethal but “extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened.” If that criteria is stuck to, that means favourites such as Tom Hardy, aged 47, Idris Elba at 53 and Henry Cavill, aged 42, presumably don’t match what Villeneuve, producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal, and execs at Amazon MGM Studios are leaning towards.

Also, consider that by the time Bond 26 begins shooting in 2027, both Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack Lowden will be 37 years of age. Will they be too old for Villeneuve? How rugged and imposing will this Bond be? Fleming describes Bond as being over 6 foot tall, even taller in his best Jermyn Street brogues. Daniel Craig is shorter than that. But have a think about Steven Knight’s writing credits, a key source suggests, referring to the screenwriter picked to write the script for the Amazon MGM Studios production.

Knight’s work includes SAS Rogue Heroes, Peaky Blinders and Eastern Promises, all of them featuring kick-ass, bone-crunching scenes. “Whoever it is, has to look like he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice. From the moment you see him, that has to be readily apparent,” a person close to discussions tells us. Online speculators and betting companies throw out names without thinking who Bond is. Knight will be going back to Fleming’s earliest novels — Casino Royale (1953), Live and Let Die (1954), Moonraker (1955), Diamonds Are Forever (1956), From Russia, with Love (1957), Doctor No (1958) and Goldfinger (1959) — to help remind us who Fleming’s protagonist is. Might the new Bond be more in the mould of a younger Sean Connery who originated 007 in 1962’s Dr. No?

There’s a sense from the many conversations I’ve had that Knight’s going back to Bond’s beginnings as a Royal Navy Commander before being recruited by MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, to perhaps chart how Bond attained 007 status. I want to stress that this is what I’m hearing but to caution that none of this is confirmed or fully formed because the script is still being written and the direction of travel is still up for grabs.
Could Bond be played by a non Caucasian, I asked sources? He could, came the reply. As always, well, nearly always, it’ll come down to this: Are they right for Bond? Are they right for the story that Villeneuve and screenwriter Knight will be telling?

While we’re here, it’s worth pointing out the obvious: Bond 26 will not take up where No Time to Die, the final iteration in the franchise under Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, left us; with Bond dead. “It’s a new Bond, a new start, a fresh everything,” is how it was put to me by a key source who adds that it’s unlikely many associated with the past Bond regime will be involved with Bond 26. That said, I suspect a few old Bond hands might well be consulted on the quiet in the snug of a private club in Pall Mall, London.

An unprecedented number of applicants have already sent in their pitch to play James Bond to the production. “Every name you’ve heard of, and many you’ve never heard of,” a well-placed mole revealed. “We’ve been flooded. But understand that the casting process has not begun and it won’t until Denis finishes the Dune movie,” they continued. It pays to remember that Craig, who, although famous to those of us who followed his career on stage and in independent and Hollywood movies, was not a household name when he was picked to play Fleming’s approved British government assassin. I know that Broccoli knew of Craig’s theater history but it wasn’t until she saw Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake that she became convinced he should be cast for Casino Royale.

British actors in their mid 20s to early 30s, with stellar acting chops, who fit the Bond mould, are going to be under an intense spotlight for the next 12 months. Bond … James Bond is somewhere out there. Our sources indicate that the film will be released in 2028 with filming due to take place in 2027. There’s a lot of talk about the movie premiering in the November slot favored by past Bond movies. By the way, just because Bond will be British, it doesn’t mean that other roles, such as the Bond foe and the actress leads, can’t be performed by non-Brits, as has been the case for eons.

[Kristatos]

Bamigboye used to be notorious for bogus scoops, like declaring that every new Bond film was going to be called Avatar before James Cameron nabbed that title, but he seems to have become much more reliable in recent years.

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[dirtybenny]

If that article by Baz is to be believed and that's a big if, considering the source, we're getting another "Bond Begins" origin story, but perhaps with the courage of it's convictions this time unlike the half assed kinda-sorta maybe Bond is just starting out at age 38 in CR. I can't say as that I'm excited about that, but also can't say I blame Amazon, considering what they were left with after N,TTD.

I find it peculiar Amazon is going to involve the director so heavily in the casting of a franchise actor (again if true), is Denis going to be one and done? If so why must he put his finger prints so deeply in the casting? Is he sticking around for several films? If so then we are looking at Denis Villeneuve's Bond and no-one else's, that somewhat troubles me.

[Omega]

I am logging on with Safari or Google Chrome all the time. It only did that the other day and then it stopped and I changed NOTHING. Sometimes this website goes off kilter for unknown reasons. Where did newbie Datmate go?

If you google 'James Bond forum' the DCINB forum used to be about the third Bond forum that came up in the search. Now this forum seems to have completely vanished from the google search pages altogether. I have no idea why.

Well I don’t think we have SSL certificate so that probably blocks us . But I think it’s more we’re are being blocked from appearing in searches because of who we are, Amazon has a lot more sway over Google than MGM did.


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[Omega]

If that article by Baz is to be believed and that's a big if, considering the source, we're getting another "Bond Begins" origin story, but perhaps with the courage of it's convictions this time unlike the half assed kinda-sorta maybe Bond is just starting out at age 38 in CR. I can't say as that I'm excited about that, but also can't say I blame Amazon, considering what they were left with after N,TTD.

I find it peculiar Amazon is going to involve the director so heavily in the casting of a franchise actor (again if true), is Denis going to be one and done? If so why must he put his finger prints so deeply in the casting? Is he sticking around for several films? If so then we are looking at Denis Villeneuve's Bond and no-one else's, that somewhat troubles me.

The 007 novel that came out parallel to Craig series, which had another reboot with a more modernized young bond was actually a pretty decent story. The problem was Babs hated it because her Danny wasn’t the inspiration or rather he was the inspiration to go a cleaner direction, more Fleming.
There was a video game that Danny wasn’t star of, the production company hired another British actor that actually looked apart and seemed to have the voice, and then they recast the guy to put Danny in the role after we made news of it, I’m sure Babs complained that we pointed out that Craig wasn’t bond in this video game so sure enough he had to be. This is also back when Babs thought that games were beneath the franchise, even though from Russia with love and everything or nothing really great games that built the series up.


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[dirtybenny]

Speaking of video games the new Bond game coming out soon is also an origin story, so if Amazon goes this route we will have 2 back to back origin stories for a character who never really had one nor needs it!

[James]

https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/9 ... james-bond

Rumor: Amazon/MGM Pushing For Jacob Elordi to Play James Bond in Denis Villeneuve’s Reboot



A well-placed source tells me that Amazon is quietly pushing for Jacob Elordi as a contender for the next James Bond, though no formal offer has been sent out, and we’re still a long ways away from official casting. Elordi will likely have a screen test next year, the usual tuxedo fit and action scene.

Denis Villeneuve is expected to have a say in the matter, and so far there’s been no indication of a pushback on his part in terms of Elordi’s casting. A final decision is supposed to be made on the next 007 actor in mid-2026.

I reached out to Amazon, but the studio declined to comment.

What makes this development curious is that just last week, Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye reported Amazon’s criteria for the next Bond as that of an “unknown” British actor. Elordi is neither. He’s Australian, but his stock has been rapidly rising thanks to “Euphoria,” “Priscilla,” “Saltburn,” and the upcoming “Frankenstein.”

Elordi, 28, may, however, be a perfect fit for 007, a character that requires the looks, but a certain detached coldness, which Elordi has. He’d make a compelling Bond because he combines striking looks with an imposing frame and a natural air of detachment that aligns with Ian Fleming’s colder, more ruthless 007. His performances have shown he can balance charm with menace — exactly the duality required of James Bond.

A key factor in this reboot is screenwriter Steven Knight, who is penning Bond 26 for Amazon MGM. With credits including “Peaky Blinders” and “Eastern Promises,” Knight has a history of gritty, violent storytelling. One insider notes that the new Bond needs to look like “he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice” — a clear nod to Ian Fleming’s more brutal conception of the character. Standing at 6’5”, Elordi certainly fits the physical criteria.

Knight is said to be drawing heavily from Fleming’s earliest novels, which could signal an “origin” Bond — revisiting his Royal Navy background, his recruitment into MI6, and eventual attainment of “00” status. The story could even be set in the ’50s or ’60s.

Still, casting won’t formally begin until Villeneuve wraps “Dune: Part Three.” Production on Bond 26 is expected to kick off in 2027, with a release planned for 2028, likely in the traditional November slot long favored for Bond premieres.

[Kristatos]

Another report says that they are looking for a Brit, which would rule Elordi out. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

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