Gary Oldman claims the search for the next James Bond is already over, and he’s publicly rooting for his Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden to land the role.
Speaking on Canada’s The Morning Show, Oldman addressed the swirling speculation directly.
“It’s been rumoured that [Lowden] is on the shortlist. We’re going to find out pretty soon, aren’t we? Because they have picked him. They have made their choice, but they have not announced it yet. So my fingers are crossed for Jack.”
It remains unclear whether Oldman has genuine insider knowledge of Amazon MGM’s casting process or is simply speculating based on industry buzz, the studio has not confirmed any decision and has declined to comment on the process.
Lowden’s name entered serious contention last month after podcaster and producer Richard Osman said on The Rest Is Entertainment that Lowden was the name he’d heard connected to the role, adding, “It is definitively not a ‘he’s definitely got it’ thing. He is definitely being strongly considered.”
Other names that have circulated in Bond casting speculation include Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harris Dickinson and Tom Francis.
Lowden’s connection to the role gained an unexpected extra layer last month when his wife, actress Saoirse Ronan, told Empire she’d love to play a Bond villain herself.
“I want to go dark. I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I’m dead serious. I think it would be really interesting, having a young female villain. Especially for girls and women, to see someone who can just take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere, there’s something interesting in that dramatically. So I would love to do more of that.”
Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the new Bond film, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight writing the screenplay.
Oldman and Lowden currently co-star in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, which returns for its sixth season on September 16.
