Who is Tom Francis, lesser-known British actor soaring up James Bond odds?

The name’s Bond. James Bond. But who will play Hollywood’s legendary spy next?

Well, now that Dune director Denis Villeneuve is done playing in the sand on Arrakis and ready to get to work on his new Bond movie, the hunt is well and truly on for the next 007.

And ever since Daniel Craig vacated the role in 2019, after getting blown up by a missile, people have speculated which actor could slip into Bond’s iconic tuxedo.

Names like Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have all been rumoured over the years.

However, there’s a new(ish) name in the mix if the rumours are to be believed. Supposedly, 26-year-old Tom Francis has auditioned for the part, and he’s one of the new favourites?

So who is Francis and what are his chances of getting his hands on a license to kill? Let’s investigate…

Who is Tom Francis?

Tom Francis is an Olivier Award-winning actor known for his roles on the West End and Broadway.

The actor most recently starred opposite Nicole Scherzinger in Jamie Lloyd’s take on Sunset Boulevard, and has also appeared in six episodes of You on Netflix.

To date, Francis is best known for his stage work, appearing on the West End in productions of Hair, & Juliet and Sunset Boulevard.

He made his film debut in last year’s Jay Kelly, which was directed by Noah Baumbach and starred George Clooney.

He’s also set to feature in upcoming sports drama The Mosquito Bowl, directed by Peter Berg and starring Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård.

His biggest screen role to date was in Netflix’s stalker series You, where he appeared as Clayton Angevine during the fifth series.

According to Variety, Francis had auditioned in a process overseen by Bond casting director Nina Gold.

It said a source with knowledge of the production told the publication.

However, representatives for both Francis and Amazon MGM did not comment when approached by the outlet.

Who else is in the running to be the new James Bond? Latest odds explored

While Francis might have auditioned, he’s not the only name in the mix.

Variety previously reported Amazon were considering 22-year-old Louis Partridge for the role.

While neither Partridge nor his team have commented on rumours, he did joke about how he might impress writer Steven Knight.

‘Maybe I could be at the bar, swilling a martini, saying nothing,’ he said.

In an interesting link, Partridge previously appeared in Knight’s Netflix series House of Guinness last year, making this comment soon after Knight’s appointment had been announced.

As stated earlier, producers are reportedly on the lookout for a younger actor to play Bond for the reboot – even before Amazon MGM Studios purchased creative control of the franchise from Eon.

Not only might a younger Bond increase the number of films their new lead could make, but also potential involvement in the tie-ins and spin-offs the studio has an eye on.

Ladbrokes spokesperson Alex Apati told Metro: ‘The race to replace Daniel Craig is more wide-open than ever, and while Callum Turner continues to lead the way, the odds suggest an unknown name could well get the gig.’

Callum Turner is still the favourite to score the role with 10/3 odds, with Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi at 5/1 and Josh O’Connor at 8/1.

What do we officially know about the current casting stages?

MGM and Amazon have confirmed that ‘the search for the next James Bond is underway,’ however we shouldn’t expect an imminent announcement.

Instead, they’ve been clear that they’ll announce the news ‘when the time is right’. What’s more, they won’t be rushing a film out the door.

‘Bond won’t be back until 2028,’ a source told The Sun. ‘The production mindset’s gone from “Let’s hurry this through” to “Make sure we get this right”.’

Metro has reached out to Amazon MGM Studios for comment.

[This article was first published on May 17.]