Meet the Netflix actor, 22, tipped to play the youngest James Bond ever

As the years-long wait for a new James Bond to be announced rumbles on, a surprise new contender is being tipped for the role.

And rather than coming from the bookies, whispers of this candidate’s name have reached the industry trades, suggesting an air of potential that other widely proclaimed front-runners don’t always have.

If this rumour bears fruit, the actor in question will also become the youngest 007 ever by some considerable margin.

Louis Partridge is just 22, seven years younger than the youngest actor so far to play him, with model George Lazenby only 29 at the time of shooting 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

But now Variety is reporting speculation has reached the team that he’s ‘in contention for the job’, which has gone unfilled since Daniel Craig handed in his licence to kill after 2021’s No Time to Die.

Partridge’s team has yet to respond and the actor himself hasn’t said anything publicly.

He did, however joke to the publication last year of ways to impress Bond 26 scribe Steven Knight: ‘Maybe I could be at the bar, swilling a martini, saying nothing.’
And herein lies the interesting link, for Partridge played one of the main roles in Knight’s splashy period Netflix series House of Guinness last year, and made the Bond-coded comment just after Knight’s next job had just been announced.

A Bond expert previously suggested to Metro that Knight will bring a ‘darker, more mature sensibility’ to the franchise and utilise his experience writing ‘nuanced British hard-men’ for the next film.

So, while it remains to be seen if that could fit with Partridge, the young star has already impressed in a project for Knight, who often enjoys working with the same actors.

Stephen Graham appeared in Peaky Blinders and led A Thousand Blows, while Tom Hardy – another Peaky alum – also starred in Taboo, which he co-created with Knight.

Aside from House of Guinness, Partridge enjoyed a breakthrough playing Millie Bobby Brown’s love interest in Enola Holmes and its sequel; he has also previously dated singer Olivia Rodrigo.

It’s long been reported that producers were looking for a younger actor to play Bond for this reboot, since before Amazon MGM Studio bought full creative control of the franchise from Eon.

But with Amazon a major backer, the company is also known to be keen to expand 007 into other projects too, such as spin-off series and maybe a prequel.

'I'm not convinced by Louis Partridge as Bond - yet'

Tori Brazier, Senior film reporter and critic
Louis Partridge was not on my radar as a Bond contender – mainly because I was too busy looking at older actors, in their 30s.

But that’s not to say I don’t think he could do it.

He showed off some impressive acting chops in House of Guinness, and his casting as Wickham in Netflix’s upcoming Pride & Prejudice adaptation suggests further swagger is within his repertoire.

That is one of the key requirements of playing 007.

However, if Partridge is cast as Bond at 22, it will present a major departure from the character as written.

For James Fleming’s spy is a Royal Navy veteran and a commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, combined with his work as an intelligence officer for MI6.

With Craig’s casting they leaned more into him being a veteran, so things can of course be tweaked to match each iteration of a character.

But it’s simply not possible to have achieved such a senior naval officer rank in your early 20s – the average age for this level of seniority is late 30s to early 40s.

I do think as well that life experience is a vital part of playing Bond.

He is a flawed man, hardened by his experiences in the world, and capable of making the toughest of choices at the drop of his hat.

He then often must defend those decisions to the hilt.

These are not things that would come with ease to a young man of 22.

He would also likely be treated very differently among his peers and superiors at MI6, where he would stick out as too young.

And while maybe this is a great spy hiding-in-plain-sight tactic, I did find him a distractingly young in places in his role as the responsible adult sibling Edward in House of Guinness.

Knowing Amazon is keen to expand the franchise beyond merely its flagship films though, I do think that Partridge could make a fantastic young Bond in any prequel series.

He certainly has the talent and confidence, and maturity beyond his age, to manage that.

As a rising star on the cusp of the breakthrough, he doesn’t have any baggage attaching him to closely to other major characters or IP in fans’ eyes; he’s a tantalisingly clean slate for producers.

And should Bond proper come calling again in a decade or so, assuming they go with a mid-thirties actor like Callum Turner or Aaron Taylor-Johnson this time around, Patridge would be perfectly positioned to inherit the role then.

And still young enough for the commitment and strain of a good few spy missions!

A younger Bond – the publication reports ‘fresh-faced’ is a casting term that has been doing the rounds – would increase not only the number of main films they could lead, but also their potential involvement in other related content.

Partridge – a Prada ambassador – also comes with a very attractive 8.5 million Instagram followers, another benefit of younger stars, without having reached Hollywood’s A-List just yet.

In contrast, Craig was 38 when Casino Royale came out and 53 by the time No Time to Die was finally released.

Sir Sean Connery was 32 when he became the first onscreen Bond, Pierce Brosnan was 42 for his first film, and Sir Roger Moore was 45.

James Bond odds

Callum Turner — EVS
Jacob Elordi — 7/4
Aaron Taylor-Johnson — 7/2
Henry Ashton — 8/1
Harris Dickinson — 9/1
Theo James — 10/1
(Provided by Paddy Power)
Partridge, who has also starred in Disclaimer, Danny Boyle’s rock ‘n roll Disney Plus series Pistol and had a small role in George Clooney and Adam Sandler movie Jay Kelly, will next appear in Netflix’s new adaptation of Pride & Prejudice as the rakish George Wickham.

Other names who have been favourites for Bond recently include 28-year-old Jacob Elordi and 36-year-old Callum Turner, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 35, was falsely reported to have been cast in the role in 2024.

Metro has contacted reps for Louis Partridge for comment.
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