Jack Barton, the British actor known for supporting roles in Heartstopper and SAS: Rogue Heroes, has unexpectedly become one of the names at the center of the latest search for the next James Bond.
Page Six reported, citing unnamed sources, that Barton has emerged as a particularly strong possibility among the lesser-known actors being considered by director Denis Villeneuve and casting director Nina Gold. The outlet said screen tests involving several reported candidates are expected to begin in early September.
The same report named Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson among actors expected to test. None of those names, including Barton, has been confirmed by Amazon MGM Studios, and the studio has not publicly announced a shortlist or testing schedule.
Amazon’s official position remains considerably narrower. In May, the studio said only that “the search for the next James Bond is underway” and that it would not discuss specific casting details while the process continues.
Jack Barton Has a Much Lower Profile Than the Other Reported Contenders
Barton trained at the Oxford School of Drama before building a screen resume that has so far placed him mostly in supporting roles. He is recognizable to Heartstopper viewers as David Nelson, the older brother of Kit Connor’s Nick Nelson, and appeared briefly as Fop 1 in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things.
His most substantial action-oriented role came as real-life British officer John Tonkin in the second season of the BBC drama SAS: Rogue Heroes. In a Gentleman’s Journal interview, Barton said he researched Tonkin extensively and spoke with the officer’s daughter before filming because he felt pressure to portray someone with such a significant wartime history accurately.
Barton also described being nervous when he joined a cast that included Connor Swindells, Jack O’Connell and Dominic West. The series was created and written by Knight, who is now writing the next Bond screenplay.
Six Actors Are Reportedly Being Lined Up for Screen Tests
Page Six reported that Barton is part of a wider group expected to screen-test in early September alongside Lowden, Turner, Elordi, Mescal and Dickinson. The actors would represent very different approaches to replacing Daniel Craig, ranging from Barton’s relatively low public profile to stars who already have major international followings.
Lowden has spent several seasons playing intelligence officer River Cartwright in Slow Horses, while Turner starred in Masters of the Air. Elordi, Mescal and Dickinson have each moved between prestige films and larger studio projects, making all five considerably more established internationally than Barton.
The Playlist subsequently reported that Jack O’Connell is another name it continues to hear in connection with the search. The outlet went further, saying its sources had heard the field might currently be down to Barton, Lowden and either O’Connell or Turner, while cautioning that “lots of names are flying around fast at the moment.”
A Former Bond Casting Director Wants the Next 007 to Be a ‘Total Enigma’
Barton’s relative anonymity happens to match the preference expressed by Debbie McWilliams, who worked on 13 Bond films over four decades and helped cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. McWilliams has retired and is not involved in choosing Craig’s successor.
In a June interview with The Independent, McWilliams argued that it is “absolutely essential” for Bond to retain a “total enigma.” She said extensive public knowledge about an actor’s private life can make it more difficult for audiences to accept that person as a secret agent.
McWilliams pointed out that Dalton and Brosnan were not major global stars before taking the role and that Craig, despite an established acting career, was not yet a household name. Her preference for the next Bond was somebody “completely out of the blue.”
Amazon Has Confirmed the Filmmakers, Not the New Bond
Amazon MGM Studios sets Denis Villeneuve as director of next James Bond film.
Tanya Lapointe will serve as executive producer. As previously announced, Amy Pascal and David Heyman will serve as producers. pic.twitter.com/E27wlBRuFI
— James Bond (@007) June 26, 2025
Amazon MGM announced Villeneuve as director in June 2025, several months after closing a joint venture with longtime Bond custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson that gave the studio creative control of the franchise. Pascal and Heyman had already been named as producers, with Lapointe serving as executive producer. Knight joined as screenwriter the following month. Amazon has not announced the movie’s title, release date or lead actor.