Could a Queenslander be the next James Bond? 

Hollywood star Jacob Elordi has gone from strength to strength since first catching the eye of Netflix executives for The Kissing Booth in 2018. 

The 27-year-old expressed a flattered interest in landing the iconic role, which has routinely turned well-to-do actors into global mega stars, while walking a red carpet for critically acclaimed Saltburn in 2023.   

Terri Seymour from US entertainment news show Extra caught Elordi off guard when she asked: 'Bond – would you be up for it? Your name has been thrown around.' 

Flashing his signature megawatt smile, Elordi responded, 'Bond? James Bond?'

'Is that what they’re saying?' he added, with a too-cool-to-care shrug of his shoulders. 

'Oh my goodness, wow,' he said. 'That’s beautiful.'

Elordi's Saltburn co-star Barry Keogan got in on the fun: 'Are you playing Bond?' he asked before quipping, 'I’ll play your villain in Bond.' 

Currently the next James Bond movie, the 26th in the main version of the film franchise, is in pre-production in London.

With a loose release date projected for 2027, cinephiles are on the edge of their seats waiting for an announcement.  

There have been just 27 appearances of James Bond on film in almost 70 years, with Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig taking on the prestigious role. 

Betting agencies had their money on UK actor Idris Elba, who has publicly declined the persistent rumours that he will be the next Bond, and even joked that he is 'the most famous Bond actor' despite having no intention to ever star in a film. 

Theo James (Divergent), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton) and Little Women‘s James Norton are all popular contenders, but no casting has been confirmed. 

The series has been kept on a very tight leash by longtime producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who stepped down in March 2025. 

Amazon bought MGM, the former home of Bond movies, in 2022 for US$8.5 billion. 

New producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have promised to 'keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure.' 

In October, Broccoli told The Guardian that executives haven’t started the process of modernising the iconic franchise. 

But he has now relinquished creative oversight, while retaining co-ownership of the intellectual property.

Amazon officially took over creative control of the James Bond franchise in February, after buying out the Broccoli heirs for one billion US dollars (AUD$1.58 billion). 

This means that Amazon now has the full power to determine the direction of James Bond, including the future release of all kinds of movies and TV spinoffs.

The conglomerate has already indicated an intention to  expand the Bond franchise beyond the theatrical films, opening the door to a Marvel-style interconnected multiverse of spinoffs. 

Elordi could be the fresh face Amazon's new Bond 26 production duo  are looking for. 

As of right now, a new James Bond actor has yet to be announced. But the big question on everyone's lips in Hollywood is, just how many Bonds will there be? 

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has promised that the film will not be impacted by his 100 per cent tariffs on internationally-made movies.     

'James Bond has nothing to worry about, that I can tell you,' Trump told The London Times, as reported by Variety. 

Trump has made it clear that his love of the late Sean Connery means that the UK made Bond franchise will be made exempt from the new policies. 

Elordi has had a stellar rise in tinseltown, with a breakout role in Emmy-winning HBO show Euphoria, in addition to Saltburn, then Elvis Presley in the Priscilla biopic. 

Next, he is set to star alongside Margot Robbie in a contentious remake of Wuthering Heights.