Film & TV3 min(s) read
Rumor has it, the decision of who is next to take on the iconic role of James Bond has already been made, despite it not being publicly announced.
Ever since it was announced that Daniel Craig would be stepping down from the role of 007 after his fifth and final outing in 2021's No Time To Die, the rumor mill has been churning about who might be bestowed the role of the suave spy next.
According to actor Gary Oldman, that decision - now several years in the making - has reportedly been finalized, and he's shared his thoughts on one name that's in the running.
Speaking during an interview with Canada’s The Morning Show, per the Hollywood Reporter, Oldman claimed the next version of Ian Fleming’s spy has already been selected.
Oldman, who starred alongside Jack Lowden, 36, in Slow Horses, claimed the actor is one of those in the shortlist for the coveted gig.
He explained: "It’s been rumored 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 is not known whether Oldman's comments come from some insider information or whether it's just an educated guess, and currently representatives at Amazon MGM studios have yet to release an official comment.
The next instalment in the Bond franchise is set to be directed by Denis Villeneuve, with Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight writing the script.
As well as Lowden, other names that have been bandied about for the role of Bond include Callum Turner, Tom Holland, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, and Harris Dickinson.
Of course, that does not yet mean to say that the role will go to such a high-profile actor, as it may well be a lesser-known star that gets the gig.
Amazon - which struck a deal with longtime franchise stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to take full control of the character and its IP in February 2025 - has remained silent on any casting decisions thus far.
If Lowden were to get the gig, he might just be able to put in a good word for his wife, Saoirse Ronan, who said last month that she wants to play a Bond villain.
She told Empire while promoting her latest movie, Bad Apples: "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."
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