According to a new report, Robert Pattinson has a much more limited deal than the rest of the James Bond candidates. The Batman actor has only signed on for three movies if he's cast, as opposed to the rest of the frontrunners who are down for four.
Per Puck News, "[Josh O']Connor and [Jack] Lowden, for instance, were required to sign up for four Bonds, if chosen. Pattinson, on the other hand, was able to lower that commitment to three (plus a whole lot more money than the others), given his stardom."
Former The Hollywood Reporter journalist Matthew Belloni, who writes the newsletter, went on to add that Pattinson's deal was reportedly very "difficult to close". As a result, sources were wondering why the filmmakers went to such lengths if they weren't pretty set on the actor.
Currently, the actors who have screen-tested for 007 alongside Pattinson are Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, The Crown's Josh O'Connor, Masters of the Air actor Callum Turner, and Superman's Lex Luthor star, Nicolas Hoult. Pattinson and Hoult were reportedly late additions to the casting process, as it seems those involved are split on who to choose.
Bond director Denis Villeneuve said recently that the conversation is still ongoing, but it seems he is a big fan of Pattinson. The actor appears in the upcoming Dune 3 and Villeneuve recently said that he can't stop thinking about the actor's movie, Primetime.
Pattinson is a bit of an outlier as he already has a huge franchise on his plate with The Batman. However, as noted in Puck News, it does feel unlikely that he'd reprise the Caped Crusader role again after The Batman 2 given the long delays between films and the recent upheaval at DC Studios.
For everything you need to know about the casting process, here's our guide to the next James Bond. We've also got a round-up of the best James Bond films, ranked if you want a rewatch too.
