Jack Lowden breaks silence on 'flattering' James Bond rumours

Jack Lowden has broken his silence on the "flattering" James Bond rumours.

The Slow Horses actor, who is widely believed to be among the finalists for the coveted role, addressed the ongoing casting rumours in an interview with GQ published on Monday.

Lowden gave the interview in September, days after his Slow Horses co-star Gary Oldman claimed 007 had been cast and he hoped it would be the Scottish star.

Addressing the "noise", Lowden played it coy by saying, "It's all very flattering. It's nice to be mentioned - for any role - and I'm just not really going to add to the noise."

He continued, "It's very nice, and Gary's a sweetheart - it's particularly lovely, coming from someone like him. But I don't really listen to it."

Lowden noted the rumours are a rite of passage for British actors of a certain age and look.

"As a young male actor, generally, the minute you're not playing a zany artist type, the minute you're in a suit, people fling it at you," he added.

During an appearance on Canada's The Morning Show, Oldman declared that the new Bond had already been picked and his "fingers are crossed for Jack", leading many to believe he had announced Lowden's casting.

The Oscar-winning actor later clarified that he did not know who had won the part.

According to reports, Lowden, Callum Turner, Josh O'Connor and a fourth mystery actor participated in screen tests last month. These reports have not been confirmed.

The new Bond is expected to be unveiled before the end of the year.

The next actor will succeed Daniel Craig, who bowed out as Bond with 2021's No Time to Die.

Dune's Denis Villeneuve will direct the next film from a script by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.