Saoirse Ronan wants to play a James Bond villain, and she says the ambition is real. The timing gives her pitch extra weight, because her husband, Jack Lowden, ranks among the leading candidates to play 007.
Ronan told Empire magazine she wants to “go dark” and is serious about a villain role. She has floated the idea before. In a 2024 podcast interview, she said that if forced to choose, she would rather see her husband land Bond than play a Bond villain herself.
Lowden, 36, has replaced Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi as the bookmakers’ favourite. The couple met on the set of the 2018 drama Mary Queen of Scots. If both were cast, they would become the first married couple to star opposite each other in a Bond film.
Nothing is official. Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed the search is underway but says it will not discuss specific casting choices until the time is right. TV presenter Richard Osman said Lowden is the name he has heard. He stressed that the actor has not secured the part.
Page Six reported that Lowden would screen test in early September alongside Turner, Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson, with little-known Jack Barton cited as the current favourite. Then came a twist from inside Lowden’s own circle. Gary Oldman, his Slow Horses co-star, said in a television interview that the studio has already made its pick and simply has not announced it. He added that he feels confident about Lowden. Many outlets doubt Oldman has access to that kind of information.
The wait may be nearly over. Producer Amy Pascal told Deadline that the end of the year is “a good bet” for an announcement. Denis Villeneuve will direct the film from a screenplay by Steven Knight. Reports point to filming in 2027 and a release in late 2028.
A Lowden casting would make him the first Scottish Bond since Sean Connery. For Ronan, the villain role remains an open wish. She has not reported any talks about it.
