Three favourites emerge in James Bond casting and it doesn't include Aaron Taylor-Johnson

A trio of favourites has apparently emerged in the race to become the next James Bond after it was announced that Denis Villeneuve has joined the project as director.

This will be Amazon's first movie in the James Bond franchise since gaining control of it earlier this year, and there is much to be done before filming can even start.

The announcement of Villeneuve, director of critically acclaimed science fiction films Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune films along with thrillers Sicario, Prisoners and Enemy, has been met with much encouragement from Bond fans.

To have such a well regarded director attached to the project is a bonus since getting a guy who makes good films on board with Bond increases the chance that the next 007 movie will be good.

Of course, there is still much anticipation over who the next Bond ought to be, and for a character with such a significant cultural impact there are plenty of opinions over exactly who that ought to be and what it means for what 007 represents.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been the bookies favourite for Bond (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)

Who will be cast as Bond depends largely on what the studio wants from the next iteration of the character, depending on what kind of Bond they want some of the names mentioned will either be too old or too young to be a suitable fit.

For a long time the bookies favourite has been Aaron Taylor-Johnson with previous claims that he'd been 'formally offered' the role being made, though the man himself has said that, while the links are 'flattering' and a 'great compliment', he hasn't given any sort of confirmation.

However, Variety reports that there are three actors who've overtaken him as favourites for the role.

They claim that 'insiders' say that casting for the new Bond is going to be looking for 'a British actor under the age of 30, and named Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi and Harris Dickinson as the favoured trio.

They'd all be around 30 by the time filming started on a new 007 flick, and while Elordi is Australian, that's apparently not a dealbreaker.

Jacob Elordi has been named as one of three supposed frontrunners for the role (Don Arnold/WireImage)

Bond has been played by non-Brits before, with Australian George Lazenby and Irishman Pierce Brosnan both portraying the spy, so perhaps it's more the character who ought to be British rather than the actor.

That being said, the prospect of an American actor as the next Bond is still enough to put one off one's tea and crumpets.

Still, if these 'insiders' are to be believed, then it seems as though the remit is for a younger chap to play the role, which might count out usual favourites such as Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill.

It's still going to be a while before we're likely to see this possible new movie arrive in cinemas, getting a director is just the first step.

LADbible have contacted Amazon for comment.