TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The race to become the next James Bond remains wide open, but television presenter Richard Osman has revealed the name of a Scottish actor he says is being “strongly considered” for the iconic role.
On the latest episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Osman said he had been told who the next 007 would be, while cautioning that the information did not mean the actor had secured the role.
“Someone told me for definite who the new Bond is the other day, but I mean that’s happened before,” Osman said.
He later identified the actor as Jack Lowden.
“The name I’ve heard is Jack Lowden,” 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.”
Co-host Marina Hyde agreed that Lowden, 36, is at a suitable age to take on the role. Osman added that he believed the Scottish actor would make an “incredible Bond” and compared his screen presence with that of Daniel Craig.
Who Is Jack Lowden?
Lowden is best known internationally for playing River Cartwright in the Apple TV+ spy thriller Slow Horses. He has also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018).
He is also set to play Mr. Darcy in Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Osman's comments come as speculation over Craig's successor continues to intensify. Craig last played Bond in No Time to Die (2021), which marked his fifth and final appearance as the British secret agent.
Who Else Is in the Running to Be the Next Bond?
Lowden is not the only actor linked to the role. In recent months, Australian actor Jacob Elordi and British actor Callum Turner have frequently been mentioned among the frontrunners.
Elordi, 29, has received praise for his performance as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Turner, 36, is known for Masters of the Air and has also appeared in films including The Boys in the Boat.
Meanwhile, new research discussed by Osman and Hyde found that the public's preferred choices include Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill.
Osman cautioned against relying too heavily on public opinion, noting that audiences had not always predicted the actors ultimately chosen to play James Bond.
“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.
When Will the Next James Bond Be Announced?
The next Bond film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, known for Dune, while Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly targeting a 2028 theatrical release.
According to producer Amy Pascal, the filmmakers are taking their time deciding who will succeed Craig.
“We are being really, really methodical,” Pascal said, adding that Craig was “a hard act to follow.”
She said the new Bond film would need to be “really different” while remaining “stirring and exciting.”
While no official casting announcement has been made, Osman’s comments add Jack Lowden to an increasingly closely watched list of potential successors to Craig.
Read: Search for the Next James Bond Officially Begins
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