Who will be the next James Bond? Five stars in final auditions, including Pattinson and Hoult

Who will be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig? The answer may come this month. Word is that five British stars have recently given their final auditions for the role of the new James Bond, or "007".

A report in Deadline has confirmed that Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult joined Calum Turner, Josh O'Connor and Jack Lowden in the list at the last moment.

The report said the search for a new Bond for the 26th James Bond film began last March. The search started after casting director Nina Gold joined the project.

After the first round of auditions ended in August, producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman and director Denis Villeneuve shortened the list of possible actors in September. The final auditions were supposed to happen at the start of October, but scheduling complications pushed them to the end of the month.

After Daniel Craig's long 15-year run as Bond, the filmmakers are being very careful about choosing someone new for the role.

Both Pattinson and Hoult, on the final list, have experience working in big franchises. Robert Pattinson played Batman for DC Studios, and was also part of hugely popular franchises such as "Twilight" and "Harry Potter". Nicholas Hoult, meanwhile, plays Lex Luthor in DC's "Superman" film, and was also in the "X-Men" prequel trilogy.

Pattinson, however, has one big advantage: he is also acting in "Dune: Part Three", the upcoming film by Denis Villeneuve, the director of the new Bond film. So he may be ahead in the race to become James Bond, it is thought.

Apart from Pattinson and Hoult, the names of several British actors in their thirties are being heard in the British and American media. Calum Turner, Josh O'Connor and Jack Lowden are among those in the race. According to the entertainment outlet Variety, there have also been talks with pop star Harry Styles, and Theo James's chances cannot be ruled out yet.

A few days ago, Pierce Brosnan, the hugely popular Bond star of the nineties, expressed his support for Calum Turner as the new Bond. Actor Gary Oldman, on the other hand, wants his "Slow Horses" co-star Jack Lowden to play James Bond.

If all goes well, the name of the new James Bond may be officially announced towards the end of this month, especially before Thanksgiving Day. But Amazon has not commented yet on these final casting rumours.