'Disclosure Day' Star Josh O'Connor Reportedly Cast As The Next James Bond, But The Source Is Pure Pub Gossip

The hunt for the next James Bond has become one of Hollywood’s longest-running guessing games, and Josh O’Connor has been in the mix for a long time. The ‘The Crown’ star has been tipped, predicted and joked about as Daniel Craig’s successor for years. Each fresh rumor sends the internet into another frenzy.

Behind the scenes, the search has been moving. Amazon MGM Studios now controls the franchise, Denis Villeneuve is set to direct, and casting director Nina Gold is running the auditions. Variety reported late last month that final screen tests were about to begin, with Jack Lowden and Callum Turner in the mix, and TheWrap said O’Connor had made the cut alongside them. An announcement is widely expected before the end of the year.

Now The Sun is reporting that O’Connor has already been cast. According to the paper, a source ran into one of O’Connor’s ‘Golden Boy’ castmates at a Soho pub, and the castmate blurted out after a few glasses of lager that O’Connor was the next 007. The castmate reportedly claimed O’Connor had confided the news during celebratory drinks after the play ended its run on Halloween.

That is a lot of qualifiers for a headline-grabbing claim. The Sun’s own source said they told the castmate it was pure speculation, even as the castmate insisted otherwise. Nothing has been confirmed by Amazon MGM or by O’Connor, which makes this a rumor rather than a casting announcement.

The 36-year-old British actor won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for playing Prince Charles in ‘The Crown’. He later appeared opposite Zendaya in ‘Challengers’ and in Kelly Reichardt’s ‘The Mastermind’. More recently he has starred in ‘Disclosure Day’ and ‘Wake Up Dead Man’, and his stage run in ‘Golden Boy’ took place at the Almeida Theatre in north London.

Interestingly, Gold previously cast O’Connor as Charles in ‘The Crown’. That link has fueled the idea that he is a natural fit, though casting history alone doesn’t prove anything. He is simply one of several actors who have been attached to the role.

O’Connor has been asked about Bond repeatedly. Back in January 2025, he told Deadline at Sundance that he had no idea whether he was Bond, and he joked that the rumors began after he made a throwaway comment and then did an ‘Actors on Actors’ interview with Craig. This week he described the attention as bizarre but extraordinary, while giving no hint on whether he is actually in the running.

Craig himself, for what it’s worth, has said he has no opinion on who should take over. Hollywood trade reports have also noted that few Bond actors were famous before landing the role. That makes O’Connor’s current profile both a strength and a talking point.

O’Connor is far from the only name in play. Lowden has told British GQ it is nice to be mentioned but he won’t add to the noise, while Pierce Brosnan recently praised Turner in a Vanity Fair interview. Gary Oldman has also said the next Bond has already been chosen and hopes it is his ‘Slow Horses’ co-star Lowden.

It’s also worth remembering that The Sun has made a similar claim before. In March 2024, the paper reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson was set to sign for the role, citing a source, and no announcement has followed. Bond casting rumors have a long history of arriving with confidence and fading without a trace.

Amazon MGM bought the Bond rights in an $8.5 billion deal, and the studio hasn’t commented on any of the reports. Producer Amy Pascal has said the actor will be revealed before the end of the year, so fans may not have long to wait for the real answer. Until then, every pub-fueled whisper deserves a healthy pinch of salt.