Showbiz news

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Search for new James Bond officially kicks off as auditions begin | BBC
by Ian Youngs
May 15, 2026

The casting process for the new James Bond has officially begun, after years of anticipation and speculation about who will take over from Daniel Craig as 007.

"The search for the next James Bond is under way," Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement.

Auditions have been taking place in recent weeks, according to Hollywood outlet Variety, and the statement signals the beginning of the end of the long wait for a new James Bond.

Who could be in the frame to play James Bond?

The current bookmakers' favourites include:

Callum Turner - the 36-year-old actor is the current bookies' frontrunner. He has been in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, was nominated for a Bafta for TV drama The Capture, and starred in Apple TV's Masters of the Air. He is also Dua Lipa's other half.

Jacob Elordi - the Australian actor, 28, made his name in TV's Euphoria and cult hit film Saltburn, and was nominated for an Oscar this year for playing the monster in Frankenstein. The Rest Is Entertainment host Marina Hyde recently said she'd heard from a number of well-placed sources that he's now "in pole position" to be Bond.

Harris Dickinson - the 29-year-old is playing John Lennon in the forthcoming major Beatles biopics, and has previously appeared in Maleficent, The King's Man, Where the Crawdads Sing and Babygirl, and received a Bafta TV Award nomination for A Murder at the End of the World.

Henry Cavill - the Superman, The Witcher and Mission: Impossible actor is a fan favourite and was widely regarded to have been the runner-up when Craig landed the part. But at 43, is he now too old to start a lengthy stint as 007?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson - the Bafta-nominated 35-year-old, known for films like Kick-Ass, Kraven the Hunter and 28 Years Later, is a perennial contender, and would fit the bill.

Theo James - the suitably suave star, 41, made his name in the Divergent films and has since built his reputation in The Time Traveler's Wife, The White Lotus and The Gentlemen.

[Devastator]

R.I.P. Peabo Bryson

[Dr.Kamiya]

R.I.P. James Handy.

Seems to have been stabbed by his girlfriend's son.

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YouTubers Take Over Hollywood As 'Backrooms' And 'Obsession' Beat Star Wars | Forbes
by Tyler Chou
May 31, 2026

For the first time, two YouTube creators dominated a major box office weekend. The pipeline that produced them is about to produce many more.

This weekend, two films directed by twenty-something filmmakers who built their audiences on YouTube did something Hollywood has been refusing to admit was coming. They beat Star Wars.

The films that opened this weekend are not anomalies. They are the leading edge of a structural change.

And will young filmmakers need to go to film school or are they going to experiment and incubate on YouTube? We all know the answer in teenagers hearts.