James Bond writer doesn’t refute Gary Oldman’s 007 casting claim, says he “cannot speak about this”

As fans continue to speculate about James Bond casting, Gary Oldman surprised everyone this week by claiming that the next actor to play the fictional British spy has been cast. He did so during an interview with the Canadian channel Global while promoting the sixth season of Slow Horses.

If The Dark Knight Trilogy and Harry Potter actor is to be believed, his Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden should be the one to play 007 after Daniel Craig. Now, a day later, Steven Knight has responded to Oldman's claims that James Bond has been cast. For those who don't know, Knight is the writer of the next Bond movie, which will be directed by Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.

What did Steven Knight say about James Bond casting?

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On Monday, Gary Oldman claimed that the next Bond has been chosen, and just a day later, writer Steven Knight responded. The writer and filmmaker was interviewed by the show Today, which airs on BBC Radio 4. When the interviewer asked Knight about Oldman's comments, he neither confirmed nor denied if the Slow Horses actor was telling the truth:

“I cannot speak about this subject. Much as I would dearly love to. Doing my duty for King and country."

When BBC's Anna Foster pressed Knight further for an answer, asking if knowing the actor makes the writing easier, the writer said that knowing the actor does smoothen certain aspects:

“It does make life a little bit easier if you know who that person is, but also you have to write the character, not the actor.”

However, Knight did not reveal the actor, or the list of actors under consideration to play the next James Bond. Thus, there might be some credibility to Gary Oldman's claims that an actor has been cast to play 007, a claim that supports Jack Lowden. However, Oldman is not the only Slow Horses actor to back Lowden this week.

Actor James Callis also hopes that Lowden will be cast as Bond:

Some time after Oldman's interview, James Callis, the actor who appeared in Slow Horses Seasons 4 and 5 as Claude Whelan, also posted an image of his co-star on his Instagram page with a message of support for Lowden. The caption supporting Jack Lowden read:

"He doesn't need my blessing- But he's got it in spades. (Saved my life!- in the park.) #jacklowden @jack.lowden @jacklowden.fans - my word is my bond. ♥️"

Given that two Slow Horses actors have supported his casting as 007 and Knight being cagey in the BBC 4 interview, it wouldn't be surprising if Jack Lowden were to be announced to play the next Bond.