Gary Oldman claims new James Bond has been cast, backs ‘Slow Horses’ co-star Jack Lowden

Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden CREDIT: Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+

Gary Oldman has claimed the new James Bond has been cast, and is hoping Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden has landed the role.

Amazon MGM Studios announced they had started searching for the next 007 back in May. Numerous names have emerged as contenders to replace Daniel Craig , who bowed out in 2021’s No Time To Die , with Wuthering Heights star Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Harris Dickinson among the names being touted for the role.

Speaking in a new interview with Canada’s The Morning Show , Oldman said: “It’s been rumoured that he’s [Lowden] 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.”

Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next Bond film, which is being written by Peaky Blinders creator and producer of the Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger documentary Steven Knight .

Lowden’s wife and actress Saoirse Ronan, also recently revealed that she wants to play a “dark” Bond villain in a future 007 movie .

“I want to go dark,” she explained. “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.”

One of the producers on the movie, Amy Pascal, predicted the next 007 will be unveiled by the end of the year.

Elordi meanwhile, recently avoided questions about auditioning for the role at the Leicester Square premiere of his new film The Dog Stars .

Elsewhere, season six of Slow Horses is set to land on Apple TV+ on September 16.