EXCLUSIVE: Gary Oldman's Bond Reveal Sparks Fresh Frenzy Over Next 007 Actor
Gary Oldman has claimed the new James Bond has been cast.
Sept. 12 2026, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Gary Oldman has sparked a fresh Hollywood frenzy over the identity of the next James Bond after claiming producers have finally chosen the actor who will inherit 007's famous tuxedo, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 68-year-old Slow Horses star said a decision had been made but not announced – while throwing his support behind his 36-year-old co-star Jack Lowden, one of several actors linked with succeeding Daniel Craig, 58.
Gary Oldman on James Bond Role: 'They Have Picked Him'
'They have made their choice,' Oldman claimed, referring to producers selecting the new Bond.
Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next installment after Amazon MGM Studios assumed creative control of the franchise in February 2025.
Oldman said: 'It's been rumored that (Lowden's) on the shortlist. 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."
His intervention immediately adds intrigue to one of Hollywood's most closely guarded casting decisions.
No official announcement has been made, and Oldman did not say who he believed had actually secured the role.
Who Else Is Rumored to Be Up for Role?
Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland have been rumored to be in the running for the iconic role.
A Hollywood source told us: "Gary's remarks are particularly striking because he appeared certain that the decision itself had been taken – potentially shifting attention from who is being considered to when the successful actor will be unveiled, and it has caused an utter frenzy among all the wannabe Bond stars, who all found Gary's declaration shocking and news to them."
Lowden faces formidable rumored competition for the 007 role.
Tom Holland, 30, Harris Dickinson, also 30, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 36, Jacob Elordi, 29, and Callum Turner, 36, have all been tipped as possible successors to Craig.
Should Lowden ultimately land the part, the casting could also produce an intriguing family connection to the franchise. His wife, Saoirse Ronan, has repeatedly made clear she wants to enter Bond's world herself – but as an adversary rather than a love interest.
Saoirse Ronan Wants In on Bond Franchise
Oldman declared he hopes his 'Slow Horses' co-star, Jack Lowden, gets the role.
The Bad Apples actress told Empire: "I want to go dark. I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain, and I'm dead serious.
"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," the Oscar nominee added.
Ronan previously outlined how she imagined the character during a 2024 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
She said at the time: "Her and Bond don't get together or anything; she's a villain. Like Javier Bardem vibes. I'm conscious of being blonde, because I feel like a lot of villains in movies, they're always like, make them super blonde and evil-looking."
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Lowden's wife, Saoirse Ronan, previously said she wanted to be a Bond villain.
Before Amazon MGM Studios took creative control from longtime Bond custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, Ronan had even acknowledged that the franchise's then-producer ultimately made any casting decision.
She said: "I'd want to break (the trend), but honestly it's whatever (then-Bond producer) Barbara (Broccoli) wants!"
For now, however, Oldman's tantalizing claim leaves Bond fans with the same question – not whether a decision has been made, but exactly who the producers have chosen.
