'It's all very flattering': Bond frontrunner Jack Lowden stays tight-lipped on 007 rumours after Gary Oldman's shortlist claim
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.
Jack Lowden, 36, responded with a smile and an 'Oh, Christ' when pressed by British GQ on Gary Oldman's September claim that the next Bond had already been chosen, adding wryly that suits trigger 007 speculation for any young male actor. He hinted his long-term ambitions lie behind the camera, telling GQ he does not think his future is in acting but in 'making something of my own.'
Co-star Oldman had told Canada's 'The Morning Show' in September: 'They have made their choice — my fingers are crossed for Jack.'
Screen tests for the Denis Villeneuve-directed, Amazon MGM film reportedly took place in London in late October, with Callum Turner and the actor also in contention.
Turner separately fuelled speculation by stepping down as a director of Twentytwo Films, the production company he founded with wife Dua Lipa.
