Is the ‘twist’ that James Bond casting producer Amy Pascal promises us that the spy and his nemesis will be played by a real man and woman?
Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, 36, is said to be in the running for 007 – and his wife Saoirse Ronan, 32, has just told Empire magazine her dream is to become a Bond villain.
“I want to go dark,” she said in an interview this week. ‘I said I wanted to be a Bond villain, and I was dead serious about that.
‘I think it would be very interesting to have a young, female villain. Especially for girls and women, to see someone who can just direct all that pent-up anger somewhere.”
Amazon MGM Studios struck a deal last year with longtime franchise stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson to take full control of Ian Fleming’s iconic spy franchise.
The studio is said to be currently releasing the next installment, with an announcement expected this fall. The recordings could then start around the turn of the year.
Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden, the husband and wife speculated to be the next James Bond and his nemesis
When asked about the Bond timeline earlier this month, film producer Amy Pascal said: ‘I’d say the end of the year is a good guess. We work very, very methodically.’
She added: “Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it has to be something completely different, that is moving and exciting.’
A Mr. and Mrs. double act would certainly qualify for poignancy and excitement. Other names considered for Bond are probably Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland.
Ronan and Lowden are both acclaimed actors who first met on the set of the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots in 2018, where they played husband and wife (Mary Stuart and Lord Darnley).
They married in July 2024 and had their first child last September, whose gender and name have not been shared.
Ronan has previously backed her husband for the role of 007. When co-hosting a BBC Radio 2 show with Scottish DJ Edith Bowman in 2024, Bowman raised her belief that Lowden would be a good choice for the iconic role, adding that she had been making a similar argument for years.
In response, Ronan said, “I’m going to count how many times you plug it into the radio for Bond.”
When Bowman responded that she had been doing this for six years, Ronan replied: “But that hasn’t happened yet,” before adding: “There’s time, there’s time.”
But this week, a new name has entered the battle for 007. British actor Jack Barton, 31, has been introduced as a potential new leading man and has been named the current favourite.
British actor Jack Barton, 31, has been introduced as a potential new leading man as he was named the current favorite for the iconic role (pictured in SAS: Rogue Heroes)
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Would casting a real couple as Bond and his villain add excitement or ruin the mystique of 007?
Page Six has reported that screen tests will begin in the coming days, with Barton’s name apparently on the shortlist.
So far, he has most notably appeared in the Netflix teen drama Heartstopper and the BBC’s SAS: Rogue Heroes last year, as well as in a selection of small roles.
Casting directors are said to be backing Barton for the role, while Amazon is thought to be looking for a more established actor.
Debbie McWilliams, who chose previous Bonds Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig for the role, previously said a newcomer should be cast.
She told the Independent in June: “I don’t want to see any of it [the rumoured stars] as Bond because we know so much about them now.
‘We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because they are spies. We don’t need to know where he goes shopping, who his parents are, or where he lives.
‘We never want to see him at home. And an essential part of the whole is his job description. He has the power to kill, and we must believe that he can. If you don’t do that, you’ll lose the audience.’
