James Bond front-runners Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James reunite for the UK premiere of Fuze… as Amazon prepare to fill vacant role

James Bond fans may have spotted double O-7 on Thursday night, as two of the hottest candidates for the still-vacant role attended the red carpet premiere in London.

Leading stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James have joined new film Fuze, which premieres at the Odeon West End ahead of its official UK release on April 3.

British actors head a growing list of eligible stars vying to play the seventh incarnation of smooth-talking secret agent Bond, five years after Daniel Craig left the coveted role.

Rubbing smartly dressed shoulders outside the central London venue, the two stars posed genially for the cameras and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, who is responsible for taking the Bond franchise forward.

After Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, they took full creative control of the 007 series in a deal with Barbara and Michael Broccoli, children of original James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli.

Barbara and Michael had overseen the franchise since 1995, when their father handed over control of his Eon Productions company to them.

Amazon reached a settlement with Barbara and Michael in March 2025, and while financial terms were not disclosed, it was rumored to be worth over $1 billion.

Speculation has continued to grow as to who the next Bond will be on the big screen, with Taylor-Johnson and James previously touted as favorites among industry heavyweights.

The acquisition of the Bond series by Amazon earlier this year has also led to a number of predictions about where they might take the franchise next.

Bond has been spoiled with video game adaptations since the 1980s; Early adaptations took the form of shooting games or text adventures in which players wrote what they wanted the superspy to do.

Amazon bosses are said to be currently evaluating shooting locations for the highly anticipated new film, which experts predict will most likely be released at the end of next year or in 2027.

Due to a filming ban in central London, new locations are reportedly being considered, with Liverpool ahead of the curve, according to The Sun.

An insider told the publication: ‘This will upset Bond purists who are already fearful of Amazon taking over the 007 series and lead to them making major changes.

‘But Liverpool is a well-known alternative to London for filmmakers.

‘It has appeared in everything from Batman to Captain America to the Harry Potter films and has doubled as international cities.’

The source added that this doesn’t necessarily mean the story will take place in Liverpool; but eagle-eyed Merseysiders will no doubt notice the city centers in the background.

Finally, there are theories about which names are competing to replace Daniel Craig, who plays the role of Bond in the 2021 movie No Time To Die.

British actors head a growing list of eligible stars vying to play the seventh incarnation of smooth-talking secret agent Bond, five years after Craig left the role.

James Bond fans may have spotted double O-7 on Thursday night, as two of the hottest candidates for the still-vacant role attended the red carpet premiere in London.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Theo James (right) attend the Fuze premiere on Thursday

The two actors were joined by their stunning co-stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (center left) and Saffron Hocking (center right).

Amazon Prime has taken over ‘creative control’ of the James Bond franchise, with fans fearing the beloved films could be ruined by endless spin-offs like Star Wars.

The deal follows Amazon’s acquisition of MGM Studios in 2022 as part of its media push. This acquisition gave Amazon distribution rights to the 007 series but not creative control.

The company is said to be ramping up the new film, reportedly spending $1 billion to wrest back control from the Broccoli family.

There is reportedly no explanation for how the special agent is still alive, no Bond multiverse, and no attempt to return to the 1960s for an old Bond.

Barbara Broccoli’s choice for Bond was once thought to be Taylor-Johnson, who was once the favorite for the role, but Heyman and Pascal will probably want to cast their own 007.