This isGQ's power ranking of the prime candidates to be the next James Bond, which is updated regularly — and will be until an official announcement is made.

Four years on from the conclusion ofDaniel Craig's acclaimed Bond stint, and we're still yet to find his successor. The question remains: who will be the next James Bond?

Well, the wait to find out may soon be over.According toVariety, Amazon MGM Studios has officially begun the audition process for Bond, seeing actors for the past few weeks. The studio has recruited casting extraordinaire Nina Gold, whose resume boasts such franchise beasts asGame of Thrones,The CrownandStar Wars, to help find their 007, signalling their intent to nail it from the off. “The search for the next James Bond is underway,” the studio confirmed in a statement. “While we don't plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we're excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”

As to be expected of the highest-profile casting process on the planet, rumours around alleged auditionees have already begun to circulate. Over the weekend,Varietyreported that Broadway actor Tom Francis, best known for starring inJamie Lloyd'sSunset Boulevardopposite Nicole Scherzinger,has auditioned for the role. He is hardly the biggest name to be attached to Bond, with the 26-year-old primarily known for his work on stage, which may suggest that Amazon are looking for a fresh-faced newcomer to relaunch the franchise. There's also good chance that it's rumour mill guff, but it'll hardly do his career any harm to be publicly considered in the running for one of the most talked-about parts in Hollywood. What else is he paying his publicist for?

Historically, the rumour mill has turned out names as varied asIdris Elba, James Norton, Theo James, andAaron Taylor-Johnson. Elba was long thought to be the frontrunner; Taylor-Johnson once seemed like a dead cert. But the last year has perhaps been the most seismic yet for the future of 007. Amazonbought creative controlfrom long-time Bond custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson — the daughter and stepson of franchise originator Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. The super-producer duo of David Heyman (Harry Potter) and Amy Pascal (Sony'sSpider-Manfilms) stepped in to take the reins. Denis Villeneuve was hired to direct Bond 26;Peaky Blinderscreator Steven Knight is writing the script.

With so many of the essential pieces in place for the next Bond movie, we now circle back to the small question of who will play 007 himself. As it stands,all bets are on Callum Turner, who has been the favourite for the last six months, but other big names have also done the rounds. There'sHarris Dickinson, who is soon to play John Lennon in Sam Mendes' Beatles films; Australian it boyJacob Elordi, who just bagged his first Oscar nomination forFrankenstein, and stole hearts as Heathcliff in February'sWuthering Heights; even Spider-Man himself,Tom Holland, has been reported to be in the running.

Basically, we haven't much of a clue right now — but with casting officially underway, celebratory martinis shall soon be in order. In the meantime, this is our ranking of the likeliest candidates to be the next Bond.

TheMasters of the AirandFantastic Beastsactor has it all: charm, charisma, good looks. And his fiancée Dua Lipa could make for a decent Bond girl…

Why:For starters,Turnerenjoys the perfect level of fame for a candidate to play Bond: he's fairly well known among people who follow film and TV, and your dad might recognise him offMasters of the Air, but he isn't so A-list that his casting would risk overshadowing the role. That's without accounting for his obvious Dua Lipa-courting charm, charisma up the wazoo, and eyes that you could drown in — all traits that would help him settle into playing the world's best superspy. What's more? He's actually a goodactor, as demonstrated in the aforementionedMasters, in which he plays a World War II pilot whose heavy bomber unit boasts one of the highest mortality rates in the entire U.S. Air Force.

Turner has been widely considered the frontrunner by the press since November, after his odds were slashed by the vast majority of bookmakers. In the wake of the betting markets coming to bat for the actor,The Telegraphwrote a long piecespeculating why he could be the right man for the job; his newfound status as Bond favourite also drew attention from theNME,Complex, and other major culture outlets. Many also pointed to the fact that he holidayed in Oracabessa Bay last summer — the estate, also known as “GoldenEye,” where Bond author Ian Fleming wrote many of his Bond novels.

Source: Drudge Report