Gary Oldman Says the Next James Bond Has Already Been Chosen, and He’s Hoping It’s His ‘Slow Horses’ Costar

Speaking on Canadian television, the actor claimed Amazon MGM has quietly made its decision on the next 007. His pick is Jack Lowden, who’s been floated for the role for months.

Gary Oldman may have just let something slip about one of the most closely guarded casting decisions in franchise filmmaking. In interviews with Canada’s Global News and The Morning Show, the actor said the choice for the next James Bond has already been made internally, even though nothing has been publicly announced. “It’s been rumored that he is on the shortlist,” Oldman said of his Slow Horses costar Jack Lowden. “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.”

A Friendship That Goes Back To 2022

Whether Oldman is speaking from genuine industry knowledge or simply rooting for a friend and colleague, the two have worked closely together since 2022 on Apple TV’s Slow Horses, a show built on exactly the kind of understated tradecraft and tension the Bond franchise has leaned into more heavily in recent years. Lowden’s name has circulated on Bond shortlists for months, and Oldman’s comments have only added fuel to that speculation.

Lowden’s own year has been busy regardless of the Bond outcome, with Rogue Trooper already released and Pride and Prejudice and Berlin Noir still to come.

A Genuine Prestige Swing Behind The Camera

The new film carries serious creative weight behind it regardless of who ends up in the tuxedo. Denis Villeneuve is set to direct, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight penning the script, a pairing that signals Amazon MGM is treating the reboot as a genuine prestige swing rather than a straightforward franchise refresh. Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing, with Nina Gold leading the casting search.

Reports indicate auditions took place in August, with Villeneuve, Pascal, and Heyman meeting directly with shortlisted actors. The studio took full creative control of the Bond IP in a deal struck with longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in February 2025, making this the first Bond film developed entirely under new ownership.

A Shortlist That Keeps Shifting Depending On Who’s Reporting It

Lowden is far from the only name attached to the rumor mill. Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Tom Holland, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Harris Dickinson have all been floated as contenders at various points, though Amazon has yet to confirm any casting decision publicly.

Other reports have floated an even wider net, including Paul Mescal, relative newcomer Jack Barton, and Jack O’Connell, with some outlets disagreeing on which names actually made the final cut. That inconsistency alone says something about how tightly Amazon has kept this process locked down.

There’s an added personal wrinkle to Lowden’s candidacy, too. His wife, Saoirse Ronan, said last month that she’d be genuinely interested in playing a Bond villain herself, specifically pitching a young female antagonist as a fresh direction for the franchise. “I want to go dark,” she told Empire. “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.”

Why none of this should be taken as settled

Still, Bond casting speculation has one of the worst track records in entertainment journalism, and it’s worth holding Oldman’s comments with that history in mind. One longtime franchise insider put the rumor mill’s accuracy bluntly in an earlier analysis: 99 percent of Bond casting rumors turn out to be false. “Actually,” the insider added, “make that 100 percent.”

What The Market’s Saying?

That history hasn’t stopped the industry from actively pricing the race anyway, and the current numbers tell a tighter story than Oldman’s confidence might suggest.

Jack Lowden currently holds a narrow edge, with Callum Turner running close enough behind him that it’s essentially a coin flip between the two frontrunners. Aaron Taylor-Johnson sits well back of that top tier, with the rest of the field, including Tom Holland and Jacob Elordi, trailing further still. If Oldman really does have inside information, the odds suggest it’s far from a settled question yet.

See where the full James Bond casting market stands right now, updated live, on Kalshi.

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Joanthan P. Moustakas

Jonathan P. Moustakas founded The Cinema Group in 2020 during the challenges of the pandemic, after losing the vital ability to find community in theaters and escape through the captivating magic of cinema. Feeling profoundly cut off from the vibrant film community he cherished, he sought to create a welcoming home for dedicated cinema fans while providing engaging, daily curated content that resonates with their passions. Years later, The Cinema Group has blossomed from a small collective of loyal fans into a thriving brand that reaches millions of audiences every month across a diverse array of platforms and mediums.

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