Could A South-Asian Actor Play The Next James Bond?

If the rumours are to be believed the next actor to play James Bond is likely Callum Turner. This was the headline some weeks ago. Now, there are two competitors who are in long list of actors rumoured to play the British secret agent character from Ian Fleming's 1953 novels turned films- Jacob Elordi and shocking to many, Riz Ahmed.

Amazon's first James Bond movie may have found itself a writer in Steven Knight and a director as brilliant as Denis Villeneuve, who will play the next 007 is still under question. While Elordi fresh off the success of Frankenstein represents a familiar Hollywood-leading-man direction for the franchise, the Sound of Metal actor Ahmed carries a very different kind of weight that could fundamentally reinvent Bond. And that idea sits at the heart of Bait, Ahmed's upcoming Amazon prime Video comedy series hat playfully but pointedly explores what happens when a struggling actor finds himself on the fringes of becoming 007.

As Shah Latif in Bait that's set for a March 2026 release, the actor's life is thrown into chaos after landing an audition that could change everything. As speculation builds around his potential casting as James Bond, Shah becomes the focus of intense public scrutiny, media obsession and cultural debate. What begins as an opportunity quickly mutates into a pressure test — not just of talent, but of identity, belonging and expectation.

The series starring Ritu Aryam Aasiya Shah, Sheeba Chaddha, Guz Khan and Riz Ahmed follows him over the course of four wild days as his life spirals out of control and his family, ex-lover, and the entire world weigh in on whether he is the right man for the job.

The series uses the idea of Bond as more than a career milestone for Hollywood actors. Instead, it positions the role as a symbol of Britishness, masculinity and acceptance- qualities Shah is constantly forced to prove. Through satire and escalating tension, Bait examines the double standards faced by actors of colour when representation is treated as both progress and provocation.

Arriving at a moment when the Bond franchise itself is searching for its next chapter, Ahmed’s fictional brush with 007 mirrors the real-world conversation surrounding the future of the character, raising the question of whether Bond can evolve beyond tradition and who gets to lead that evolution.

So, while Riz Ahmed may not have actually auditioned to be the nest James Bond yet, his Prime Video comedy Bait puts a new spin on the James Bond fantasy as casting rumours swirl around the next 007.