Manhood's Pick For James Bond
By James McLaren
Jack Lowden looking ready for action in Dior.
Image Credit: Jason Lloyd Evans @jasonlloydevans
As the final screen tests reportedly get underway, we’re backing a familiar face with a distinctly Scottish edge.
There are few casting decisions that can bring the internet to a standstill quite like James Bond. And, five years after Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die, the search for his successor appears to be approaching its final act.
Reports suggest that screen tests are taking place this weekend, with Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, Masters of the Airactor Callum Turner and The Crown’s Josh O’Connor among the names in contention. A fourth candidate is yet to be identified, and Amazon MGM Studios has kept its cards close to its chest. The tests are reportedly putting the finalists through their paces on stunts, screen presence and dialogue. In other words, the full 007 assessment.
The speculation has been building for months. Now, with the shortlist apparently narrowing, it feels like the right moment to put our own name forward.
Our pick? Jack Lowden.
A licence to come home
Sean Connery remains, for many, the quintessential James Bond. Born in Edinburgh, he established the character’s screen identity in Dr. No in 1962: cool, commanding and effortlessly assured. There have been excellent Bonds since, but Connery’s shadow still falls across the franchise. So, if we’re talking about who should take up the licence next, we’d quite like to see a Scot return to the role.
Enter Jack Lowden. The Scottish actor has built an impressive career across film, television and theatre, from Dunkirk and Mary Queen of Scots to Slow Horses, where he plays the decidedly less polished operative River Cartwright. He has the range, presence and physicality Bond demands, without needing to announce himself too loudly. His understated approach to style doesn’t hurt either; a well-cut dinner jacket feels like a natural fit.
And then there’s the Scottish connection. A fellow Scot. A fellow ginger. It might not be the traditional casting brief, but we see no reason to argue with it.
Lowden would bring his own character to the role rather than attempt to recreate Connery’s, which is precisely the point. Bond needs to evolve, and there is something appealing about the idea of Scotland returning to the centre of his story. Turner, O’Connor and the other reported contenders all have their merits, but if we’re putting our money on one name, ours is Lowden.
Scotland should stay in the frame
If Lowden doesn’t get the part, we’d still like to see Scotland in Bond’s future. Skyfall made a convincing case for the country, with Glen Coe and Glen Etive providing a cinematic backdrop to 007’s return to his roots. The Highland landscape gave the film something its more glamorous international locations couldn’t: a sense of history, isolation and home.
That connection deserves more than a passing nod. Bond’s Scottish heritage has long been part of his mythology, while Sean Connery’s legacy gives the relationship an added significance. Bringing a Scottish actor into the role would be a natural way to revisit that history, but the country has plenty to offer beyond its connection to the character.
Scotland’s film industry continues to grow, with experienced crews, production facilities and locations capable of supporting ambitious projects. From the Highlands to the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow, there is no shortage of cinematic potential - or reasons for a major production to return.
So, while we’re backing Lowden for the tuxedo, we’d be just as pleased to see Scotland feature in the next chapter, whoever ends up ordering the martini. Bond has travelled the world for decades. It would be good to see him come home again.
For now, the screen tests will do the talking. The official decision is still to come, and the rumours remain just that. But given the choice, we know who we would like to see step out of the Aston Martin.
Jack Lowden. Scottish, sharp, and ready for the part.
Shaken, not stirred.