--- title: 'Jack Barton Leads the Bond 26 Shortlist Before September Tests' type: 'blog post' section: 'Away From Set' format: 'Editorial feature' standfirst: 'Page Six Hollywood says Jack Barton is the surprise name at the top of Bond 26’s six-man shortlist, with screen tests set for September. The choice would shape not only 007, but the kind of years-long job the next actor is taking on.' author: 'Marcus Reid' published: '2026-08-28' updated: '2026-08-28' about_people: - 'Callum Turner' - 'Jack Lowden' tags: - 'Jack Barton Bond 26 shortlist' - 'Bond 26 September screen tests' - 'next James Bond frontrunner report' - 'Page Six James Bond shortlist' - 'Denis Villeneuve Bond casting' sources: - 'https://geektyrant.com/news/bond-26-reportedly-has-a-surprising-new-007-frontrunner-as-six-actors-make-the-shortlist' - 'https://www.themovieblog.com/2026/08/new-james-bond-actor-favorite-emerges-as-frontrunner-for-007/' - 'https://comicbook.com/movies/news/new-bond-26-shortlist-reveals-surprising-007-frontrunner-final-decision-may-be-made-soon/' - 'https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/other/lesser-known-actor-jack-barton-emerges-as-shock-favourite-to-become-next-james-bond-joins-a-listers-like-jack-lowden-callum-turner-for-screen-tests/ar-AA2b0z9M' - 'https://coed.com/2026/08/26/six-finalists-confirmed-for-new-james-bond-role/' - 'https://www.superherohype.com/news/687824-james-bond-new-next-casting-announcement-month' canonical: 'https://cinepixo.com/blog/jack-barton-leads-the-bond-26-shortlist-before-september-tests' publisher: 'CinePixo' --- # Jack Barton Leads the Bond 26 Shortlist Before September Tests *Page Six Hollywood says Jack Barton is the surprise name at the top of Bond 26’s six-man shortlist, with screen tests set for September. The choice would shape not only 007, but the kind of years-long job the next actor is taking on.* By Marcus Reid, 2026-08-28 · Away From Set ## Jack Barton Leads the Bond 26 Field Bond 26 has a reported front-runner, and his name is Jack Barton. Page Six Hollywood says Barton is sitting at the top of a six-man shortlist that also includes Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson. The next round of screen tests is said to happen in September, with an announcement possibly arriving before the end of the year. For a film reader, that matters because the next James Bond will set the tone for a franchise that can swallow years of casting, money, and an actor’s calendar. The surprise is not that the search is narrowing. It is that Barton, a name most mainstream viewers would not place at once, is the one drawing the strongest report. That is the kind of casting news that makes the coffee go cold for a minute. ![Jack Lowden, Vangelis, and James McArdle watch the Olympic Torch Relay from the Gielgud Theatre, 26 July 2012.](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/08/aeb7c452-a790-481c-9293-54a3dd798ad6.webp) *Photo: Ian Patterson · [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Lowden,_Vangelis,_and_James_McArdle_watch_the_Olympic_Torch_Relay_from_the_Gielgud_Theatre,_26_July_2012.jpg)* ## Why a Fresh Face Matters for 007 The reports keep coming back to the same idea: the creative team wants a younger actor and a relatively fresh face who could carry Bond through at least four films. Barton is 31, which puts him in the late-20s-to-early-30s range the studio seems to want. That is not a small thing. A Bond deal is not one movie and a polite dinner. It is a long stretch of work, with the role taking over a corner of a career and, at times, most of it. That is why Barton’s smaller profile may help him. He has a small number of feature credits, and much of his work has been on television, including Rogue Heroes and Heartstopper. Movie fans may also know him from Poor Things. In a role as fixed in the public mind as 007, a less familiar face can let the character land before the celebrity does. I have always had a soft spot for that kind of choice. Daniel Craig was not a giant box-office name when Casino Royale arrived in 2006. He was 38, and he went on to play Bond in five films over 15 years. That is a serious job by any measure, and it asks for an actor who can age with the part without getting swallowed by it. ![Actor Callum Turner at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/08/bc357bfe-303d-4de9-9865-f0703292a6cc.webp) ![Left to right: Actor Jack Lowden, composer Vangelis, actor James McArdle of the play Chariots of Fire at the London 2012 Olympics torch relay.](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/08/2c58b3bf-cb38-4016-afb2-be2a736b48ed.webp) *Photos: Harald Krichel · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Callum_Turner-68473.jpg); Ian Patterson · [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Lowden,_Vangelis,_James_McArdle_at_the_London_2012_Olympics_torch_relay.jpg)* ## Harris Dickinson, Jack Lowden and the Rest The rest of the shortlist brings its own pull. Jack Lowden has been talked about as Bond material for years. Callum Turner keeps turning up in fan talk and on betting boards. Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal bring far more public recognition, which helps in some rooms and complicates things in others. The field, as Page Six Hollywood and the other reports frame it, is a mix of star power and clean slate. Harris Dickinson is the odd one in another way. About a month ago, reports said he had backed away from consideration because he did not want another huge commitment after playing John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles project. Now he is back on the six-name list. The reports do not say what changed, only that he is still in the mix. A screen test can open a different door even if the first door stays shut. ComicBook.com pointed to Cillian Murphy testing for Batman before he ended up as Scarecrow, which is the sort of career detour actors remember for a long time. There is also a clean practical reason the unknown choice keeps making sense. If the studio wants a Bond era that runs for a decade or more, it helps to start with an actor who can grow into the part without dragging a pile of famous roles behind him. That does not make the other candidates less capable. It only explains why Barton, of all people, may now be the name to watch. ![Actor Callum Turner and singer Dua Lipa at the premiere of Rosebush Pruning at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/08/04ff0305-9deb-411f-8200-92c2abc4db0b.webp) ![Jack Lowden, Vangelis, James McArdle at the London 2012 Olympics torch relay](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/08/22032f75-79e8-4509-ac89-8ac4e77d845a.webp) *Photos: Harald Krichel · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Callum_Turner_and_Dua_Lipa-69785.jpg); Ian Patterson · [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118353189)* ## September Screen Tests and the Clock on Villeneuve The calendar is moving. SuperHeroHype said the announcement could come in October, while Amy Pascal has said the end of the year is a good bet. COED also reports that production is expected to begin next year, with the film landing in theaters in 2028 or 2029. If the September screen tests go ahead as planned, the franchise may finally be close to a call. That timing matters for Denis Villeneuve too. The reports note that he has Dune: Part Three promotion and a possible awards run coming later this year and into 2027. Locking Bond now would let the team move on to the rest of the film’s cast, the allies, villains, and love interests who will fill out this next era around the new lead. For now, though, the clearest fact is the simplest one. Bond 26 has six reported contenders, Jack Barton is the surprise name at the top, and the next screen tests are set for September. ## How this piece was made **Format:** Editorial feature ## In this piece - [Callum Turner](https://cinepixo.com/people/callum-turner) - [Jack Lowden](https://cinepixo.com/people/jack-lowden) ## Sources - https://geektyrant.com/news/bond-26-reportedly-has-a-surprising-new-007-frontrunner-as-six-actors-make-the-shortlist - https://www.themovieblog.com/2026/08/new-james-bond-actor-favorite-emerges-as-frontrunner-for-007/ - https://comicbook.com/movies/news/new-bond-26-shortlist-reveals-surprising-007-frontrunner-final-decision-may-be-made-soon/ - https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/other/lesser-known-actor-jack-barton-emerges-as-shock-favourite-to-become-next-james-bond-joins-a-listers-like-jack-lowden-callum-turner-for-screen-tests/ar-AA2b0z9M - https://coed.com/2026/08/26/six-finalists-confirmed-for-new-james-bond-role/ - https://www.superherohype.com/news/687824-james-bond-new-next-casting-announcement-month Every factual claim above is drawn from these. The reading of them is ours. Source: https://cinepixo.com/blog/jack-barton-leads-the-bond-26-shortlist-before-september-tests Written for CinePixo. Nothing on this page is imported prose.