Josh O'Connor's theatre pals 'claim he's been offered the role of James Bond' after the actor said he is 'taking some time out' in 2027

A friend of Josh O'Connor reportedly claimed that The Crown star is going to be the next James Bond during a boozy night out.  

The 36-year-old actor, who starred as Prince Charles in the hit series, has been appearing in the play Golden Boy at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, north London, and it has now been reported that one of his castmates let the Bond news slip after a 'few glasses of lager' at a pub in Soho.

O'Connor was not said to have made the shortlist of three names that the coveted role, vacated by Daniel Craig five years ago, has been narrowed down to. 

Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and an unnamed star rumoured to be Joe Alwyn were thought to be the trio who have just completed their final auditions ahead of the announcement. 

But a source said of O'Connor on Thursday: 'I bumped into one of Josh's Golden Boy cast mates at The French House. They were recognised by a lot of people who asked for selfies and we got chatting in a corner completely by accident.

'Out of nowhere, and oiled by a few glasses of lager, they blurted out that Josh was the next James Bond. I said it was pure speculation but they were insistent it was Josh.'

The insider added to The Sun: 'They said that he had confided in them about getting the role when the cast of Golden Boy had celebratory drinks after the play finished its run on Halloween.'

A representative for O'Connor has been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.

He is best known for his role as Prince Charles in The Crown, Challengers, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and The History of Sound.

Earlier this week the actor responded to rumours that he could play Bond by insisting he's 'taking some time out' in 2027.

When asked about the possibility of taking over as the iconic British spy, O'Connor said: 'No, no, no. We'll see but I doubt it.

'I'm doing something in January, but then yeah, I'm taking some time out,' he added – a potential sign that the role of Bond might have slipped through his fingers.

However, he said to be considered in that sort of bracket is 'extraordinary'.

O'Connor further told the BBC: 'It's incredibly, like, a bizarre pinch me moment. Of even being uttered in that same sentence and being considered for something like that. 

'It is extraordinary, so I'm very honoured but I'm afraid there's nothing to say beyond that.'

O'Connor recently wrapped his run as the lead role in Golden Boy where he played 60 shows.

According to the latest odds from Ladbrokes, Lowden is now the clear front-runner at 4/6, followed by Turner at 11/4.

O'Connor falls further behind in the odds at 8/1.

Slow Horses star Lowden, 36, recently broke his silence on claims that he is the 'clear favourite' for the role while speaking to GQ Hype, telling them he believes his future lies in directing.

'It's all very flattering. It's nice to be mentioned – for any role – and I'm just not really going to add to the noise...

'As a young male actor, generally, the minute you're not playing a zany artist type, the minute you're in a suit, people fling it at you.'

Expanding on plans for working behind the camera in the future, he added: 'I don't think it's [his future career] in acting, really. I think it's in making something of my own.'

Furthermore, it was recently reported that Turner, 36, has quit the film company he founded with wife Dua Lipa – a potential sign that he's focused solely on securing the 007 job.

The actor has resigned as a director of Twentytwo Films Ltd which he founded with his pop star wife last August with equal shares, aiming to produce film and television projects similar to Margot Robbie's LuckyChap production house.

Casting for the role of James Bond by December would allow Amazon MGM Studios to start filming the next movie in 2027.