Bond frontrunner Jack Lowden calls 007 rumours 'flattering' but says speculation is flung at any young actor in a suit
Daniel Craig, who played 007 across the three Bond films in which Ben Whishaw's Q appeared, will not be returning for the franchise reboot now being written by Steven Knight and directed by Denis Villeneuve.Ben Whishaw, 46, dismissed the swirling speculation over the new 007's identity as "all deliberate hype — it's a ploy to create suspense and glamour, but it's kind of fun.
Scottish actor Jack Lowden, 36, the bookies' favourite to replace Daniel Craig as 007, told British GQ he won't be drawn on casting speculation despite final screen tests for the Denis Villeneuve-directed film reportedly taking place in London last month. He played down his chances with a typically evasive response, adding he believes his long-term future lies behind the camera rather than in front of it. Callum Turner, also 36, and the actor are among the other finalists, with a fourth candidate unnamed.
Gary Oldman, Lowden's 'Slow Horses' co-star, had publicly declared 'my fingers are crossed for Jack' — though he later said he'd only heard a rumour.
Turner has fuelled his own speculation by resigning from Twentytwo Films Ltd, the production company he co-founded with wife Dua Lipa.
Lowden says he wants to direct, telling GQ: 'I don't think it's in acting, really — I think it's in making something of my own.'
