I was scrolling through casting rumors when one line stopped me cold: an Elden Ring villain might be in the running for 007. You feel the room get quieter when a gaming credit collides with a national icon. The idea lands oddly specific and entirely plausible at the same time.
I’ve followed casting chatter for years, and I’ll walk you through what’s real, what’s noise, and why Jack Barton’s name—Messmer the Impaler’s voice actor—has suddenly become a headline. You’re going to see which sources are driving the story, who else is on the sheet, and what this could mean for Bond’s next chapter.
Who is being considered for the next James Bond?
Page Six reports Jack Barton is among a shortlist of contenders, and GameSpot amplified the item after cross-checking the lead. Barton’s resume includes the voice of Messmer in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, a credited appearance in the Oscar-winning Poor Things with Emma Stone, and a few British TV roles listed on IMDb.
On a casting table in London, names are scribbled on cards before they go on a shortlist.
That’s where Barton’s name entered the conversation. Veteran casting director Debbie McWilliams—who cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig—has long argued Bond should not be a megastar, which gives lower-profile performers a structural advantage. Barton reportedly shares a publicist with Daniel Craig, and in Hollywood proximity sometimes matters as much as visibility.
Could a video game voice actor play James Bond?
Yes—if the studio prioritizes presence and tonal control over box-office muscle. Voice acting isn’t a consolation prize; it trains timing, subtext, and vocal color. Messmer’s introductions in Shadow of the Erdtree are a masterclass in shifting register and quiet menace, and those are exactly the tools Bond casting directors listen for.
At a gaming convention panel, fans replay one line until the timing is perfect.
That’s how Barton’s work on Messmer became an audition tape for millions: repeated, examined, and quoted. His performance lives in obscure item descriptions and DLC dialogue—VaatiVidya has an hour-long lore video unpacking it—and that slow-burn cultural attention can shift perception. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco aren’t just game makers; they’ve built mythologies that push actors into the spotlight.
Outside a theater, gossip moves faster than ticket sales.
Right now Anton’s competitors—Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickinson—are said to be lining up for screen tests. Page Six and GameSpot are doing what they do best: surfacing heat. Casting won’t be decided in a single afternoon, and screen tests haven’t started, but momentum favors whoever can translate presence into a camera-ready intensity.
Here’s what matters if you’re parsing the rumor mill: Barton’s credited videogame work sits alongside a small but respectable screen résumé. He’s not a household name, and that anonymity can be an asset. His Messmer performance landed like a secret handshake—recognizable to those who know it, invisible to everyone else.
At a rumor mill, credibility comes from track records—of outlets and of actors.
Page Six has a history of breaking celebrity casting items; GameSpot covers the gaming angle; IMDb catalogs credits. Cross-referencing those sources is basic due diligence. Barton’s presence in Poor Things gives him a film credit with clout—A24’s upcoming Elden Ring movie is a separate thread worth watching—and sharing a publicist with Craig is a tactical detail casting insiders notice.
This moment feels like a vinyl record skipping at the start of a beloved song: the sound is small, but it makes you listen more closely.
So what happens next? Studios will hold screen tests, producers will vet bankability, and a director will decide whether they want a familiar face or an actor who can make the part anew. If Barton takes the role, Bond’s next era would arrive with an unusual origin story: one foot in gaming’s gothic tragedy and the other in traditional British cinema.
Are you ready to argue that a voice from a video game should carry 007’s legacy into its next chapter?