Ha, technically, going by the actual sentence structure used, "him" is a personal pronoun referring directly to Lowden...

"It's been rumored that [Lowden] is on the shortlist. 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."

But yes, Oldman almost assuredly means "they have picked [the actor who is going to play Bond]." Even though that's likely not true, as most credible reports stay they're still narrowing down the list / haven't made their final decision yet.

YouBet said:

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I think Oldman's statement is being misinterpreted. I read it as he thinks/knows the decision has been made (just not announced) and he's hoping Lowden is the pick.

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That is the way I interpreted the statement.

I'm not into a bored bond either. BUT I doubt that is the direction Villanueve will take. I am sure all this casting chatter is just posturing while they wait to see who they give the nod to, but I trust Villanueve has a good take and will cast the right person for his vision.

Add me to the liking Lowden as Bond list, will be interesting to see if there's any truth to this one.

Steven Knight says the first draft of the script for the next 'James Bond' movie is done

"It’s going to be so good. I really do believe it’s going to be amazing"

(via @hitsradiouk) pic.twitter.com/p0pdOuEyI6

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) September 11, 2026

At least four test offers for the role to play James Bond have been given out and while unconfirmed, insiders tell Deadline that three of the four actors expected to test are Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O’Connor.

More details on the search and final auditions for the new… pic.twitter.com/ay8DUFn6QM

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) October 22, 2026

However, this is what Jeff Sneider has to say...

Not buying this. Doesn’t make sense. Doesn’t add up. Doesn’t compute. Don’t marry yourself to any of these guys. I’ll take Mystery Actor for $500, Alex! Because ANYONE would be better than this trio. I refuse to believe Nina Gold scoured the world to come up with this sad list. https://t.co/a4RmTLly9z

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) October 22, 2026

I’m told Bezos ‘likes the Euphoria guy’ and didn’t buy Bond to cast an unknown. He believes in movie stars. So I ask you, who on that list is a movie star, and what is Jacob Elordi if not that? Minds are changed every day in this town… and patience is a virtue. I should know. https://t.co/Qvr6lnuDKQ

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) October 22, 2026

Sneider is as plugged in as they come, but if it comes down to believing him or Deadline, I'm going with Deadline. That said, those names *are* so predictable that I'm wondering if it's all sleight of hand, and the mystery fourth actor is an unknown who basically has this in the bag. We shall see...

Woof thats a meh list

wangus12 said:

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Woof thats a meh list

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Totally agree, there's not a name on that list that inspires enthusiasm in me. I'm a decent enough Bond fan and over the past year rewatched every single Bond film ever made. That said, if any of these guys are cast as Bond it'll take some great critic and audience reviews for me to watch this movie upon release.

bond being so hard to cast is like... okay we're obviously in an actor crisis. there's never been such shortage of... gravitas, ever in the history of cinema.

— tallulah bankhead (@diandrasdiandra) October 22, 2026

It's hard to cast a James Bond during the most Low T generation ever. They should probably just wait five more years so that healthy Gen Alpha candidates emerge.

— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) October 22, 2026

TCTTS said:

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bond being so hard to cast is like... okay we're obviously in an actor crisis. there's never been such shortage of... gravitas, ever in the history of cinema.

— tallulah bankhead (@diandrasdiandra) October 22, 2026

It's hard to cast a James Bond during the most Low T generation ever. They should probably just wait five more years so that healthy Gen Alpha candidates emerge.

— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) October 22, 2026

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Never thought much about it until now, but both of those tweets are dead on, IMO.