Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have no doubt seen or heard that the seemingly never-ending rumour mill surrounding Daniel Craig’s Bond replacement has been churned again, with Josh O’Connor, Jack Lowden, and Callum Turner closing the odds on one of contemporary cinema’s most-coveted roles.
And it’s no surprise that, now, more than five years since everyone’s favourite blonde Bond bowed out in No Time to Die, we’re still waiting with bated breath for the next snippet of information as to who they might finally land on.
After all, each spike in internet traffic, driven by screen tests and tux fittings, and clandestine meetings seems to generate another wave of internet speculation, turning the search for 007 into something of a spectator sport in its own right.
But there's a new name that's suddenly thrown this feverish casting conversation wide open: Robert Pattinson. And if this latest trailer is anything to go on, it could be his latest audition for Britain’s deadliest spy.
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Pattinson’s front and centre in The Take, an upcoming Netflix heist thriller opposite Denzel Washington and Daisy Edgar-Jones slated for a 15 January 2027 release date.
Directed by City of God filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, the film sees Pattinson play Noah, a former Army captain recruited by Washington's master thief, Christian Carter, to help rob Manhattan's richest bank. There's just one rather inconvenient complication: Noah's girlfriend, Rose (Edgar-Jones), happens to work there as a teller.
The first-look trailer gives us a glimpse of the plot and the film’s nonlinear, puzzle-like structure. Much of the film unfolds exclusively through Noah's perspective, so audiences are only privy to what Pattinson's character knows, which should make for an appropriately disorienting game of cons, double-crosses, and shifting allegiances.
Meirelles was also particularly complimentary of his leading man's approach to the role, praising Pattinson's dedication and versatility. "He's never late, he's always available. If I need to do 20 takes, he's there," the director told Netflix's Tudum. Hardly the worst endorsement when you’re throwing your hat into the ring.
There’s also a rather knowing nod to Bond’s opening title sequence as the British actor walks out of the vault – whether planned or not, it’s the first visual cue we’ve got for any of Amazon’s candidates.
Yes, Pattinson will be speaking in an American accent – one he does so well, I should add. But we already know he can play the posh Englishman on the big screen. For anyone keeping tabs on Pattinson's looming 007 credentials, it's another opportunity to see him star in a major thriller, this time opposite one of Hollywood's most accomplished screen heavyweights.
With the rumour mill jumping up the gears, now’s a good time as any for Pattinson to remind audiences of his leading-man potential.