Robert Pattinson has emerged as the favorite in the race to succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to a credible film industry source.
Writing in Puck, Matthew Belloni suggests that the favorable contract terms he says were offered to Pattinson suggest that the actor, currently in theaters with the reality thriller Primetime, is Amazon studio MGM’s preferred choice for the role.
According to Belloni, while the other actors on the shortlist were set to commit to four Bond films, Pattinson’s contract called for three – and offered a much higher fee (unspecified). According to Belloni, “this suggests that the studio is willing or even willing to sacrifice a bit for a ‘name’ star to play its most important franchise.”
The casting process for the new Bond film, the 26th in the official series, has become very public in recent weeks, with industry reports suggesting that three actors – Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor – were on the producers’ shortlist, and two weeks later that two others, Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, were also being tested.
Each candidate will have been offered terms before the testing process began – what Belloni calls “test deals” – and Belloni assumes that producers must not have been entirely happy with the initial three-person shortlist, to allow more established names to join the process.
Bond 26 will be the first film made by the series’ new owner, Amazon MGM, which has “creative control” of the franchise after striking a deal with its previous producers, Eon, in 2025. Producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal are overseeing the project, while Dune’s Denis Villeneuve will direct and Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight is writing the script.
Having appeared in a number of hit franchises, including Twilight, Harry Potter, The Batman and Dune, as well as appearing in acclaimed dramas such as Bel Ami, Cosmopolis, The Lost City of Z and The Lighthouse, Pattinson is the most high-profile of the contenders – something that would likely have worked against him when Eon was still in charge, whose credo was that Bond was a bigger star than any actor. Belloni suggests that in today’s media landscape this may no longer hold: “No franchise is bulletproof anymore – everything is vulnerable and most can be helped by a value-add element, like an established star.” »
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