The hunk tipped to be the next 007

It's the most coveted job in Hollywood, and it's reportedly down to the wire.

Final screen tests for the next James Bond are said to be under way in London, putting a handful of very handsome men through stunts, dialogue and camera tests.

And one name keeps rising to the top.

Scottish actor Jack Lowden, 36, is the bookies' favourite, at evens this month according to The Scotsman.

Real Daniel Craig energy

His odds tumbled in August after Richard Osman named him on his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment. "The name I've heard is Jack Lowden," the author said.

Osman stressed it wasn't a done deal: "He is definitely being strongly considered."

"I think Jack Lowden would be an incredible Bond. He's got real Daniel Craig energy," he added.

Lowden is already a spy on screen, playing River Cartwright in Apple TV's Slow Horses. He's also married to Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan.

Ronan is playing it cool. "The dog needs to be walked, the dinner needs to be made… we're most focussed on that," she told the Associated Press.

She couldn't resist a dig at his Slow Horses co-star, either: "Well, Gary Oldman thinks he's James Bond, which is its own thing."

Back in 2024, she was more direct on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: "He should be Bond. If it's a choice between the two."

Not in the mix

Australian Jacob Elordi, 29, the Euphoria star who played Heathcliff in this year's Wuthering Heights, had also been tipped for the final round by film site World of Reel.

But TheWrap now reports he is "not testing and is no longer in the mix".

Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O'Connor are among those testing, according to Variety, Empire and TheWrap, with one more actor yet to be named. Fellow Scot Mark Rowley has joined the betting.

Casting director Nina Gold is running the auditions. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is writing the script, with Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing.

Amazon MGM, which now controls the franchise, has Dune director Denis Villeneuve lined up to direct the 26th film. He has called Bond "sacred territory" and promised to "honor its traditions while opening the way for new missions".

Pascal has said the end of 2026 is "a good bet" for an announcement.