What August's Bond 26 Auditions Really Mean | The 007 Files S4E009

Bond 26 appears to be getting into gear, with reported August auditions giving the clearest sign yet that Amazon MGM’s first James Bond film is taking shape. Bill Koenig, Javi Trujillo and David Leigh look at what the latest casting reports really mean, why the new Bond auditions matter, and what this points towards. The team breaks down the Deadline report on auditions for the new James Bond in August, and wonder if Global James Bond Day will be the moment Amazon finally does what Eon never did? They also discuss Young Bond casting, Isaac Rouse in Big Finish’s upcoming *SilverFin* audio adaptation, the problem of public denials in Bond casting, and what can — and cannot — be learned from the Daniel Craig selection process for *Casino Royale*. Javi also gives his verdict on *007 First Light*, including Patrick Gibson’s performance as Bond, the game’s replay value, its similarity to *Casino Royale*, and whether Gibson should be considered a serious Bond 26 contender. Along the way, David's dog gives his own opinion on the Deadline story, Bill outs himself as a Harry Potter fan, and Javi suggests David’s British citizenship may soon be revoked. **Where to find us** Bill Koenig ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hmssweblog.wordpress.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Javi Trujillo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/javitru.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/the⁠bondisnotenough⁠⁠ David Leigh ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thejamesbonddossier.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *Recorded in the USA and Spain on 29th June 2026.*