Rumors continue to swirl about who may play the British super-spy James Bond in the next movie. The latest name in the mix is Jack Lowden, the 36-year-old known in the video game world for playing T.E. Lawrence AKA Lawrence of Arabia in Battlefield 1.
TV presenter Richard Osman said on his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, that he heard from “someone” that Lowden is being considered for the role. He said his source told him “for definite” that Lowden is in the mix, though nothing is confirmed at this stage.
Lowden’s one and only video game credit is Battlefield 1. On TV, he’s known for playing River on Slow Horses and will appear as Mr. Darcy in Netflix’s upcoming Pride and Prejudice TV show. Lowden also played Forodwaith Sauron in an episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In film, Lowden appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and voiced Gunnar in this year’s Rogue Trooper movie.
In May this year, Bond movie production company Amazon MGM Studios said the search for the next James Bond actor was underway and that the film studio would not comment on the casting process.
Lowden is Scottish, and he would become just the second Scottish person to play James Bond, following Sean Connery. The character James Bond from the Ian Fleming book series is also Scottish.
Other actors said to be in the running to play James Bond include Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Theo James, Tom Francis, and Josh O’Connor, among others.
Fans have been waiting a long time for the next James Bond movie, as the latest entry, No Time To Die, was released in 2021. However, it was expected to release much sooner, but had three delays due in part to COVID.
Daniel Craig played James Bond in five 007 films, and wrapped up his run with No Time To Die. Amazon MGM Studios bought the franchise and reportedly paid a lot of money to take back creative control from the longtime series stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
The new James Bond movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for the Dune franchise. He’s also directed the movies Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival.