Is Josh O'Connor the next James Bond — or just the latest name swirling out of a London pub?
An unverified claim making the rounds says one of O'Connor's Golden Boy castmates spilled the beans after a few drinks. According to a source who spoke to The Sun, and was later picked up by Page Six, the castmate was overheard at The French House insisting that O'Connor had confided he had landed 007 after celebratory Halloween drinks when the play's run ended.
"Out of nowhere, and oiled by a few glasses of lager, they blurted out that Josh was the next James Bond," the source claimed, adding that the castmate was "insistent" and "clearly very proud."
Treat that as rumor, not confirmation. Page Six reached out to Amazon and EON Productions for comment. No official casting announcement has been made.
What is known: Bond 26 is expected around 2028 under Amazon MGM Studios, Daniel Craig stepped away after No Time to Die, and screen tests for the next 007 are ongoing. Other names frequently floated alongside O'Connor, 36, include Jacob Elordi, Jack Lowden and Callum Turner.
O'Connor himself has been careful in public. In a BBC interview this week he said he was "very honored" simply to be mentioned in the same breath as Bond — calling it a "pinch-me moment" — but added he was "afraid" there was "nothing to say beyond that."
The Crown Emmy winner (he played a young King Charles III) has been highly visible lately, from stage work in Golden Boy to the sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day. That profile helps explain why Bond chatter sticks to him. It does not equal a signed contract.
Until Amazon, EON or O'Connor say otherwise, the French House story remains exactly what it sounds like: second-hand pub talk about a secret still under wraps. Exciting for Bond fans. Not yet a license to celebrate.
Source: Page Six
