Is Robert Pattinson The Dark Horse In Race To Be The Next James Bond?

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The race for the next Bond has been shaken and stirred, thanks to a new contender. And Robert Pattinson, the Twilight Saga and The Batman star could have much more than a decent shot at donning a smart tuxedo and saving the world as the fictitious MI6 agent.

The actor, 40, was among the latest to have screen tested for the role, The Hollywood Reporter reported citing multiple sources in the know. He joins a long list of Bond hopefuls, including Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O'Connor.

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The publication reported that Pattinson starring in the yet-to-be-released Dune: Part 3-directed by Denis Villeneuve, who is also helming the next Bond film-aided him. Dune 3 releases worldwide on December 18.

Neither Pattinson nor Amazon MGM Studios, which is bankrolling the Bond film and holds full creative control and co-ownership of the famed film franchise, has yet to comment on the development.

Pattinson has had a busy year so far. He played a key role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and The Drama. He's currently filming The Batman Part II in London, where screen tests have been taking place, according to publication.

Filming for the next Bond movie is expected to begin in 2027, with the release date slated for the following year. Villeneuve will direct it, based on a screenplay by Steven Knight.

The James Bond spy franchise was first spearheaded by Sean Connery in Dr No (1962), followed by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, set out to find a new lead actor after Craig announced his departure.

Craig's No Time to Die (2021), starring Rami Malek as the antagonist, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris, was his fifth as the MI6's smooth and suave agent over two decades and the twenty-fifth overall.

When Brosnan backed a different Bond

Pierce Brosnan recently waded into the topic, throwing his weight behind Callum Turner. The two had worked together in the 2017 drama film The Only Boy Living in New York, and Brosnan's views were influenced by the experience.

"Oh, I'm just an audience member now. I'm just the man in the street who is eager to see who is going to play this epic role of cinematic history," he told Vanity Fair in a recent interview.

"All the men who are on the list now are actors I admire. Callum Turner is someone I've worked with, and he's so strong. They all have a voice and a physique, and a presence on film," Brosnan said. "They all have longevity as actors, all of these young men."

The star of the Bond films Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day was excited at Villeneuve taking charge of the franchise. "I think we are going to be blown away. [Villeneuve] is such an iconoclastic director," the Remington Steele actor told Vanity Fair. "His work is visionary, and his stealth and imagination of camera work and storytelling is so visceral and sensuous. It's going to be great. It's going to be truly magnificent."

Who else is in the race?

Meanwhile, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, too, addressed the speculation surrounding his possible casting as the next Bond last week, saying that the attention is "all very flattering".

"It's nice to be mentioned, for any role, and I'm just not really going to add to the noise," Lowden, 36, told People magazine.

Lowden also has his fair share of backers. Last month, Gary Oldman tipped him to be the next Bond.

"We're going to find out pretty soon, aren't we?" Oldman said during an appearance on Canada's The Morning Show. "Because they have picked [the next Bond]. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack."

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