James Bond star addresses casting rumors after Gary Oldman claims next actor has been chosen already

After Gary Oldman claimed the casting for James Bond had reached its conclusion, one of its former villains has come out to share his thoughts on the whole thing.

Think you know who’s going to be the next 007 agent?

According to actor Gary Oldman, the ‘shortlist’ has already been confirmed.

In the past few months, a plethora of names have been added to that hat, with rumors that Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), Callum Turner (Rose of Nevada), Harris Dickinson (Babygirl) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (28 Years Later) are all mixed in there.

However, Oldman revealed his Slow Horses co-star, Jack Lowden, could also be selected to play 007.

The actor revealed all in an interview with Canada’s Global, as he told the outlet: “It’s been rumored that he’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.”

Gary Oldman claims a decision has been made (Devlin/Getty Images for Apple TV)

But as the curtain closes on the potential casting choice, another cast member has opened up on his thoughts about the new instalment.

You might remember him in Daniel Craig’s 2006 Casino Royale, where Ben Whishaw took on the role as Q, Naomie Harris was Miss Moneypenny and Ralph Fiennes took over as the boss of MI6 after Dame Judie Dench’s character passed away.

But there was also Rory Kinnear, M’s chief of staff, Bill Tanner, who appeared in the Craig films, starting at Quantum of Solace (2008) until No Time to Die (2021).

That’s four Bond films.

So, it would be understandable if he thought the next instalment, even if it isn’t carrying on with Craig as the leading man, would include his character too.

When asked about the film and his character by The Times, he said: “That’s the exciting thing – I’m sure they’ll want to hold on to some continuity, what it means to people. But there’ll be a whole different approach.”

As the fourth man to have played the role of Tanner in a high-profile Bond flick, he said he’d come back to the screen if asked.

Rory Kinnear talked about his character potentially returning (Eon Productions)

He went on to claim that despite the rumors of who could take on the role next, that casting directors in projects like this ‘tend’ to cast unknowns.

Another person to have shed their doubts on the current lineup is Debbie McWilliams, who had casted three Bonds.

She revealed recently that she wants to see ‘somebody who is completely out of the blue’ and that what is ‘absolutely essential’ in casting for Bond is that the character remains ‘a total enigma.’

As for who has been pegged as the frontrunners, she said: “I don’t want to see any of them as James Bond.”

She explained to The Independent of Bond: “We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”