Richard Osman has named Scottish actor Jack Lowden as the person he has been told is in serious contention to become the next James Bond.
Speaking on the latest instalment of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast alongside co-host Marina Hyde, the former Pointless presenter shared the tip he had received.
“The name I’ve heard is Jack Lowden,” Mr Osman said. “It is definitively not a ‘he’s definitely got it’ thing.
“He is definitely being strongly considered. I think he’d be amazing.”
Richard Osman ‘heard’ that Jack Lowden is tipped to be the next Bond
|
GETTY
Earlier in the episode, Mr Osman teased the revelation, stating: “Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that’s happened before.”
Ms Hyde agreed that Mr Lowden, at 36, was well-placed age-wise for the role, while Mr Osman added: “I think Jack Lowden would be an incredible Bond. He’s got real Daniel Craig energy.”
Mr Lowden is best recognised for his portrayal of River Cartwright in the Apple TV+ thriller Slow Horses, where he appears opposite Gary Oldman.
His wider filmography includes Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots, and the BBC’s Wolf Hall adaptation.
He is also set to take on the role of Mr Darcy in Netflix’s forthcoming Pride & Prejudice series later this year.
Notably, the casting director leading the hunt for the next 007 is Nina Gold, one of Hollywood’s most respected figures in the field.
Ms Gold’s credits include Slow Horses — meaning she already has a working relationship with Mr Lowden.
Ms Hyde’s assessment that 36 represents an ideal age for a new Bond aligns with the franchise’s historical tendency to cast actors who can sustain the role across multiple films.
Richard Osman shared the news on his podcast, The Rest is Entertainment
|
PABefore Mr Lowden’s name surfaced, Jacob Elordi and Callum Turner had been widely regarded as the leading candidates.
The 29-year-old Australian Mr Elordi earned considerable acclaim for his portrayal of Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation, while Mr Turner, also 36, saw his most recent film — the romantic comedy One Night Only — receive a far less enthusiastic critical reception, with one reviewer awarding it zero stars.
Mr Osman and Ms Hyde were also responding to fresh polling data showing that the British public’s preferred choices for Bond are Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill.
Mr Osman was sceptical of the survey’s value, however.
Richard Osman shared that he thinks Jack Lowden would be an ‘amazing’ Bond
|
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,” he said.
Denis Villeneuve, the filmmaker behind the Dune franchise, has been confirmed as director of the next Bond instalment.
Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly working towards bringing the film to screens in 2028, with the identity of the new 007 expected to be revealed before the end of this year.
Producer Amy Pascal addressed the selection process last week, emphasising the deliberate pace of the search. “We are being really, really methodical,” she said.
“Having worked with Barbara Broccoli at the studio, I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow.”
Ms Pascal stressed that the franchise needed to chart a fresh course. “And it’s got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different,” she added.