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The rumour mill has been in overdrive when it comes to who’ll be the next James Bond – and presenter Richard Osman has now shared the 007 name that’s been revealed to him.
In the latest episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, the former Pointless star said that a Scottish actor is being “strongly considered” for the iconic role.
Teasing the discussion early on in the podcast, Osman said: “Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that’s happened before.”
He later told co-host Marina Hyde: “The name I’ve heard is Jack Lowden.
Jack Lowden (Getty)
“It is definitively not a ‘he’s definitely got it’ thing. He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he’d be amazing.”
Hyde concurred that, at 36, Lowden is at “a good age” to play 007, with Osman adding: “I think Jack Lowden would be an incredible Bond. He’s got real Daniel Craig energy.”
Lowden is best known for playing River Cartwright in Slow Horses, while his other credits include the BBC’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, Dunkirk (2017) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). Later this year, he’ll appear as Mr Darcy in Netflix’s new adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.
Osman and Hyde were discussing new research which reveals the public’s top picks for Bond are Inception’sTom Hardy and Superman star Henry Cavill.
Jacob Elordi has been considered a frontrunner (AFP/Getty)
“We absolutely have to take into account [that] the public would have been wrong on every single Bond appointed, apart from maybe Pierce Brosnan,” Osman said.
In recent months, Wuthering Heights star Jacob Elordi and Masters of the Air actor Callum Turner have frequently been touted as the frontrunners for the role.
Australian actor Elordi, 29, largely won praise for his star turn as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s Emily Brontë adaptation. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Turner’s latest big-screen outing, rom-com One Night Only, hasn’t fared so well with critics – and one has even gone as far as giving it zero stars.
Nina Gold – one of the best-known and well-respected casting directors in Hollywood – is overseeing the search for the next Bond. Gold’s previous projects include Slow Horses, in which Lowden stars alongside Gary Oldman.
Lowden has received one Golden Globe nomination and two Emmy nods for ‘Slow Horses’ (Getty)
Dune director Denis Villeneuve will be at the helm of the next Bond film and it’s believed Amazon MGM Studios is working towards a 2028 release date, with the new Bond expected to be named by the end of the year.
Bond producer Amy Pascal said last week: “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,” she added.