Gary Oldman thinks he knows who the next James Bond is. And he's not being coy about it.

Speaking to Canada's The Morning Show, an interview picked up by The Hollywood Reporter and reported on by Koimoi, Oldman said Jack Lowden is the man Eon Productions has settled on. "It's been rumored that he is on the shortlist," Oldman said, before going further. "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."

That's a big claim from someone who isn't a producer on the film, and it isn't a confirmation. No studio statement has followed. Until one does, this stays exactly what it is: Gary Oldman's read on a decision he says has already been made behind closed doors.

Lowden and Oldman go back a while. They've shared screen time on Apple TV+'s Slow Horses, where Lowden plays River Cartwright opposite Oldman's Jackson Lamb, a show that's been running since 2020. So if anyone outside the production has a line into casting gossip, it's plausibly him.

Who is Jack Lowden, anyway

For Indian audiences who haven't clocked the name yet, here's the primer. The Scottish actor built his reputation on the BBC's War & Peace before Slow Horses made him a streaming regular. He's also done Denial, Capone and Mary Queen of Scots, moving between stage, TV and film since he started out. Two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nod sit on his résumé, but none of that has made him a household name the way a Bond announcement would.

His biggest theatrical outing to date is Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, where he played RAF pilot Collins. Koimoi ranked Lowden's top ten grossers and put Dunkirk at number one, citing Box Office Mojo figures of $549.9 million worldwide from its 2017 run. Nothing else in his filmography comes close. If he does end up in a tuxedo with a Walther PPK, that number gets buried inside a week.

The new Bond film itself carries its own weight of expectation. Dune's Denis Villeneuve is directing, with Steven Knight writing the script, taking over from a franchise that's been in creative limbo since Daniel Craig's exit and Amazon MGM's takeover of the IP. A lead actor announcement, whenever it lands, will be treated as the biggest casting reveal in the franchise's recent history.

For now, the official word from Eon and Amazon MGM is silence. Oldman's comments will keep the internet occupied until that changes.