By Anna Tingley
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Getty Josh O’Connor is the latest James Bond contender to address speculation surrounding the coveted role, calling the prospect of succeeding Daniel Craig an “incredibly bizarre pinch me moment.”
The “Challengers” and “The Crown” actor, who is rumored to be one of the finalists in the search for the next 007, told the BBC that he was “very honored” to have his name in contention.
“It’s an incredibly bizarre pinch me moment…even being uttered in that same sentence and being considered for something like that,” O’Connor said while attending the opening of the Everyman Theatre’s new education and community center in his hometown of Cheltenham, England.
“To be considered in that same sort of bracket is extraordinary,” he added, before declining to elaborate on his potential involvement. “But I am afraid, there is nothing to say beyond that.”
O’Connor is reportedly among a handful of actors undergoing final screen tests for the role, alongside “Slow Horses” actor Jack Lowden and “Masters of the Air” actor Callum Turner.
Lowden also recently addressed the speculation, telling British GQ that the attention was “all very flattering” but that he wasn’t “going to add to the noise.”
The next Bond film, the 26th installment in the long-running spy franchise, will mark the first since Amazon MGM Studios assumed creative control of the property from longtime custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in 2025.
“Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the currently untitled film, with a screenplay from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight. Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce, while veteran casting director Nina Gold has been tapped to lead the search for the next Bond.
The casting process has generated months of speculation, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson and James Norton among the actors previously linked to the role.
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