Batman to Bond? Robert Pattinson Reportedly Screen Tested for 007

Summary

Robert Pattinson is among the actors who have screen tested to play James Bond, according to 'The Hollywood Reporter'

He reportedly joins a shortlist that includes Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Josh O’Connor and possibly Nicholas Hoult

The casting search is the first under Amazon, which took creative control of the franchise from the Broccoli family in February 2025

Robert Pattinson has reportedly screen tested to play James Bond, making the 40-year-old Batman star the most famous name yet linked to Amazon’s search for the next 007. Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Pattinson read for the part alongside fellow hopefuls Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor.

According to THR, the tests took place over the weekend of October 24 in London, where Pattinson is currently filming The Batman Part II. The outlet had previously reported that four or possibly five actors were in contention, though only three names had surfaced at that point. Nicholas Hoult is now said to be another contender, which would set up a rematch of sorts, since Hoult finished as runner-up to Pattinson when the Batman role was cast years ago. Amazon declined to comment on the screen tests.

Pattinson’s inclusion cuts against the long-held assumption that the next Bond would be a rising name rather than an established global star. He is one of the most prominent actors of his generation and already fronts DC Studios’ Batman franchise, which makes him an unusual fit for a role that has typically gone to someone audiences can grow into.

The strongest link may run through Denis Villeneuve, who is directing the next Bond film. Pattinson worked with the filmmaker on Dune: Part 3, which arrives December 18, and the collaboration is said to have gone well for both of them.

Pattinson has built his résumé around ambitious directors, working with Robert Eggers, the Safdie brothers and Christopher Nolan, whose 2020 espionage thriller Tenet now looks like an unofficial dry run for 007. This year has been his strongest yet, with a key role in Nolan’s The Odyssey, a co-lead turn in the A24 hit The Drama and the lead in A24’s well-received Primetime.

The franchise itself is in uncharted territory, as this will be the first Bond film made under Amazon, which bought creative control from the Broccoli family in February 2025. Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal and Harry Potter producer David Heyman are steering the project. The Heyman connection stands out, since Pattinson first broke through with a tragic role in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a few years before Twilight made him a worldwide name.

The search comes 21 years after Daniel Craig was announced as Bond in October 2005. Craig played the role across five films before stepping away with 2021’s No Time to Die, a run that included 2012’s Skyfall, the only film in the franchise to cross $1 billion USD.

Stay tuned for more details.