James Bond: Amazon producers eyeing Aussie Jacob Elordi, Tom Holland and Harris Dickinson as new 007

Only days after Amazon announced they had selected their new director for the next instalment in the James Bond franchise, an Australian actor has been touted as a potential final three candidate to fill 007’s loafers after the departure of Daniel Craig.

After recently acquiring the Bond rights via a mega US$8.5 billion deal to take ownership of MGM, Amazon executives have reportedly spoken in quiet code about an age requirement for their next star, leaving three actors surging into favouritism.

Aussie expat and star of Saltburn, Jacob Elordi, 28, has been speculated by Variety magazine as fitting the bill both by producers and studio bosses to be the next James Bond.

Spider-Man favourite Tom Holland and Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson are the two other actors who fit the English, male and under 30 bill, as the field is narrowed down ahead of the big announcement.

As an Australian living in the UK, Elordi ticks the boxes in the same way a young George Lazenby shot to fame after being chosen for his one appearance as the swashbuckling spy in the 1969 production of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Amazon have moved in recent months to sign and announce their new team to spearhead a Bond reinvigoration and named Denis Villeneuve to direct the next film.

Villeneuve, 57, will also act as executive producer alongside Tanya Lapointe an Amazon statement said.

Longtime producers Barbara Broccoli, daughter of legendary Bond producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, and Michael G. Wilson have also made way for the new lead producer combination of Amy Pascal and David Heyman.

“Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery,” Mr Villeneuve said in a statement after being named as the new director.

“I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.

“This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour.”

The French-Canadian filmmaker, whose latest works include Dune: Part Two, thanked the studio for giving him the opportunity.

The producers and I “are absolutely thrilled to bring him (Bond) back to the screen. Thank you to Amazon MGM Studios for their trust”

Fans of the Bond franchise have been waiting since 2021 for some signs of a new production following Craig’s farewell to the role in No Time To Die.

Prior to her departure as producer via a rumoured $1 billion settlement, Barbara Broccoli had reportedly settled on actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson to don the dinner suit and down the martinis, but the new production team of Heyman and Pascal are now likely to make the final decision on who gets the nod to become Bond ... James Bond.