James Bond Writer On The Next 007: "I Cannot Speak About This Subject"

Last week, Gary Oldman announced that the new James Bond actor had been chosen, following years of speculation. No comment had been made to confirm or deny this, until BBC Radio 4 presenter Anna Foster enquired about the casting decision when screenwriter Steven Knight came on her show on Tuesday morning.

“I cannot speak about this subject. Much as I would dearly love to,” Knight laughed, 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. Perhaps channeling Bond herself, Foster was on a mission to get as much information out of Knight as she could. “Presumably you know who it is when you’re writing it. Does that make a difference?” she asked him. The Peaky Blinders creator responded: “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”.

With one final attempt to crack him, Foster asked Knight whether he knew who was taking over from Daniel Craig as the iconic 007 before he began writing the screenplay. 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… that it’s not DC or Marvel … So I feel a responsibility to the text.”

Oldman sent the internet into a frenzy after he told Canada’s Global that his Slow Horses co-star Jack Lowden had been cast as the new Bond. “It’s been rumoured he’s on the shortlist“, he told them. “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… my fingers are crossed for Jack.”

Deadline reported back in June that auditions were taking place for James Bond in August. Other actors rumoured to be playing 007 include Callum Turner, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, as well as director Denis Villeneuve, informed talent who had been shortlisted.