It's the casting news that continues to drive cinema fans and the internet into a frenzy: Who will be the next 007?
Names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Louis Partridgeand Tom Francis have been circulating as frontrunners for the role of James Bond, and now, there seems to have been a leak.
Speaking on his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Richard Osman, the beloved British TV presenter and author of the best-selling Thursday Murder Club mystery novels, has revealed the name of the actor who is reportedly being "strongly considered" for the role.
Osman claimed to have insider knowledge that suggests 36-year-old Scottish actor Jack Lowden could be the next James Bond.
"Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that’s happened before," said Osman. "The name I’ve heard is Jack Lowden."
He added: ‘It is definitively not a “he’s definitely got it” thing. He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he’d be amazing. Lowden would be an incredible Bond. He’s got real Daniel Craig energy.”
In case you didn't know, Lowden is best known for playing River Cartwright in the hit TV show Slow Horses and has been seen on the big screen in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots (2018) and Benediction (2021).
He will appear later this year as Mr Darcy in Netflix's new adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice".
This is not the first time that Lowden's name has come up in conversation regarding Bond. Earlier this year, Euronews Culture reported that the official casting for Bond was underway and that Lowden would be an ideal candidate for the 007 mantle.
We wrote regarding Lowden: " Spy credentials? Check. Charisma levels? Suit him up. Pre-existing rapport with the casting director? Done. Married to Saoirse Ronan who has previously expressed an interest in being cast as a Bond villain? Make this happen."
Indeed, the casting director for Bond 26 is Nina Gold, who cast Lowden in Slow Horses – a detail which gives some extra weight to this recent "leak".
In 2022, while promoting Slow Horses, Lowden addressed speculation about him taking on the role of Bond, telling AP that the rumours are “lovely”, but casting doubt on their validity.
Taking a cue from Lowden, it is worth taking all rumoured contenders with a pinch of salt, as the audition process is ongoing - and traditionally, once a name is out there, the chances are it’ll be another actor who gets the role.
The role of Bond usually makes the star, and rising performers are usually favoured. Sean Connery was a relative unknown before Bond; George Lazenby had never acted outside of a few ads; Roger Moore was a household name thanks to The Saint but hadn’t had a huge break on the big screen; Timothy Dalton had a great stage career but was not an established movie star; Pierce Brosnan was a Bond hopeful for years but remained best known for his role as Remington Steele in the TV show of the same name... Only Daniel Craig had some major big screen credentials with memorable roles in Road To Perdition, Layer Cake and Munich... However, it was Casino Royale that made him a bona fide leading man.
With this in mind, and the fact that already established stars command higher salaries, the odds are that Amazon will bank on a relatively unknown actor in his late 20s rather than someone who is already in demand.
The counter argument could be that Amazon, who took creative control of the Bond franchise last year from long-serving producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, will buck the trend and cast a more known actor. In which case, we stand by our prior assessment and join Osman in thinking that Jack Lowden would be a terrific shout.
One quibble: get ready for British tabloids to have a field day if Lowden is announced as the seventh actor to play Bond.
Daniel Craig's announcement as Bond in 2005 was met with controversy and a tiresome barrage of headlines / insults regarding his hair colour, with article headers including "Blond Bond". All this despite the fact that Roger Moore had blond hair...
Lowden, who has strawberry blond hair and a distinctly reddish beard, would doubtlessly be met with tediously predictable "Ginger Bond" or "First Ginger To Play Bond" headers - especially since England has a unique cultural fixation on people with red hair, leading to bullying known as "gingerism".
Richard Osman's claims come after Bond 26 producer Amy Pascal recently shared that "the end of the year is a good bet" when it comes to the timing of the new actor's announcement.
“I would say the end of the year is a good bet,” said Pascal. “We are being really, really methodical. Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it’s got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different.”
Until then, the rumour mill will keep on working overtime...
Bond 26 will be directed by Canadian filmmaker and four-time Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve and is being written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. Production is expected to kick off in 2027, with a release planned for 2028.
