EXCLUSIVE: Fans of the James Bond franchise are getting closer to finding out who will next play the iconic spy for future installments. Sources tell Deadline that producers and director Denis Villeneuve have begun informing talent who have made the next round of auditions, which will occur later this summer. Villeneuve has been calling talent directly and while Deadline has not been able to confirm any names at this time sources say the auditions are set to take place in August.

Amazon MGM Studios, who is distributing and producing the pic, had no comment.

As for how many actors will test in August, while one source says they expect producers to cast a wide net, the exact number of actors is unknown with some sources saying between 5-7, while others said in the teens.

General meetings have been going on with talent all the way back to when Amy Pascal and David Heyman were tapped as producers in spring of 2025. Nina Gold, who closed a deal in April to be the casting director on the film, has been meeting with actors for the past several weeks, but sources say those meetings were for lesser known names to see if anyone should be added to the list of prominent actors expected to get a call for the next round.

With those auditions wrapping, insiders say Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have started making contact with actors over the past week to inform them about the August auditions. Actors like Harris Dickinson, Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi fit the prototype of who producers are eyeing for this next leg of auditions, but again no names have been confirmed at this time.

Though it still feels like we are a ways away from finding out who will play 007, the timing fits with the studio having their actor by the end of the year so that production can begin some time in 2027.

Since landing full creative control of the franchise this year, Amazon MGM has been thorough in its search for the behind-the-scenes talent that will be overseeing the development of this next pic in the series. Pascal and Heyman were the first to be brought on, and after meeting with a number of directors the studio tapped Villeneuve to direct. The same steps were also taken before tapping Steven Knight last summer to pen the script, and, since then, the focus has been on getting the story in the right place before auditioning actors to play the role.

We will let you know more as this process continues to unfold.