New James Bond casting details revealed

Agent double-0-nobody.

“Bond 26” director Denis Villeneuve is waiting until he finishes production on “Dune: Part Three” to cast the next James Bond, and he is looking for a “fresh face” to take on the iconic 007 mantle, according to Deadline.

The new Bond will be an “unknown” male British actor in his late 20s or early 30s, ruling out rumored frontrunners like Aaron-Taylor Johnson, 35, Henry Cavill, 42, and Idris Elba, 53, insiders told the outlet Wednesday.

However, that would exclude American actors like Glen Powell, Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi as well.

“Whoever it is has to look like he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice,” a source told Deadline. “From the moment you see him, that has to be readily apparent.”

“Every name you’ve heard of, and many you’ve never heard of,” another insider shared. “We’ve been flooded. But understand that the casting process has not begun, and it won’t until Denis finishes the ‘Dune’ movie.”

As for the story itself, screenwriter Steven Knight is reportedly returning to Bond’s origins as a naval officer before his time at MI6 as Agent 007 for the 26th installment.

The search for the next Bond kicked off in 2021 when Daniel Craig, 57, hung up his tuxedo, Walther PPK pistol and license to kill and retired from the role following that year’s “No Time to Die.”

After taking over creative control of the franchise from producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in February, Amazon MGM Studios announced that Villeneuve would helm the studio’s first Bond flick.

“I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” Villeneuve, 57, said after being named director in June. “I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”

“This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor,” he added at the time.

Knight, 66, shared a similar sentiment during a chat with Variety last month.

“I’m hoping that being a Bond fan for so many years, that will sort of be imbued into me and I’ll be able to produce something that’s the same but different and better and stronger and bolder,” he told the outlet.

But some fans of the man who takes his martinis shaken, not stirred, are bound to be disappointed by the newest casting rumors, because the report appears to rule out other famous actors like Harris Dickinson, Regé-Jean Page and Tom Holland.

Other A-listers, meanwhile, have already pulled themselves out of the James Bond running.

“I think that’s every actor’s kind of nightmare,” Henry Golding, 38, said in June. “But at the same time, [you’re] also wanting to kind of add something new to a franchise.”

“I think I’m too messy for that,” Taron Egerton, 35, added one month later. “I really love James Bond and particularly Daniel Craig’s tenure. But I think I wouldn’t be good at it.”

Previous iterations saw Bond played by Hollywood legends like Craig, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery.