The plot thickens. After Gary Oldman claimed that the new James Bond has finally been chosen, the film’s writer Steven Knight has playfully stonewalled questions on the subject.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Tuesday morning, Knight was asked if a casting decision had been made after Oldman threw his support behind Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden.
“I cannot speak about this subject. Much as I would dearly love to,” Knight chuckled, adding that he felt like he was “doing my duty for King and country” by taking on Ian Fleming’s spy franchise for Amazon MGM Studios.
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BBC presenter Anna Foster prodded Knight further. “Presumably you know who it is when you’re writing it. Does that make a difference?” she asked the Peaky Blinders creator.
“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,” Knight responded.
Foster tried one more time. “So they told you at the beginning before you started writing, or do they tell you halfway through?” she asked. Knight laughed: “I refer you to my previous answer.”
He continued: “The thing with Bond is it’s its own universe, and it’s its own franchise. So there are certain rules. I mean, obviously you have to move it along, but I love where it sits. I love that it’s British. I love that it’s not DC or Marvel … So I feel a responsibility to the text.”
Oldman sent speculation into overdrive over the weekend when he claimed that 007 had been cast — and that he was rooting for Lowden.
“It’s been rumored that he’s on the shortlist,” Oldman told Canada’s Global. “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.”
Deadline reported over the summer that auditions were taking place for James Bond in August. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, as well as director Denis Villeneuve, informed talent who had been shortlisted.