James Bond auditions have officially started, Denis Villeneuve is directing, and the shortlist is very good

Forget shaken martinis, the real tension in the James Bond universe is happening in a casting office. Auditions for the next 007 have officially begun, and the shortlist is finally starting to move.

Amazon MGM has confirmed that Nina Gold, the casting powerhouse behind Game of Thrones and five Star Wars films, and an Oscar nominee for Hamnet, is running the search. She's already made her stance clear: whoever gets the role needs to "ooze sex appeal" and actually be able to act, which feels like a low bar until you remember how many actors fail one of those two things.

A second, more serious round of screen tests is locked in for August. The film has Denis Villeneuve directing, Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing and Steven Knight writing the script, and reports say Villeneuve is personally ringing the actors who've made the cut. No word yet on numbers, though estimates range from a tight five or six to a longer list in the teens.

On the betting front, Callum Turner remains the frontrunner, and his odds actually tightened after he married Dua Lipa, because apparently tabloid visibility now counts as a casting credential. Aaron Taylor-Johnson sits just behind him as the other consistent name, though neither has been confirmed as a finalist by anyone with actual knowledge of the room.

Not everyone is thrilled with the favourites. Former Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has publicly argued the studio should avoid both Turner and Taylor-Johnson entirely, on the grounds that audiences already know too much about them, and that Bond has always worked best as a relative unknown stepping into the tux.

She has a point. Part of what made Daniel Craig's casting land in 2005 was that nobody had strong feelings about him yet. Turner and Taylor-Johnson arrive with years of red carpet baggage attached.

The studio is reportedly chasing someone in their thirties who can carry the role for three or four films, with a decision expected by the end of the year and production kicking off in 2027.

So place your bets, but don't get too attached to the bookies' favourite. If history's any guide, the next Bond is more likely to be someone you're about to Google for the first time.