Steven Knight gives major update on new James Bond movie: '...not the actor'
Steven Knight has revealed a key detail about his work on the next James Bond movie, suggesting he wrote the screenplay knowing who will play the new 007. The writer explained that knowing the actor can make the writing process easier, but stressed that the character remains more important than the performer.
Earlier, Gary Oldman had claimed that James Bond producers had already chosen the next actor to play 007. The Oscar-winning actor hopes his ‘Slow Horses’ co-star Jack Lowden gets the role. Oldman said producers have made their choice but have not announced it yet. “It’s been rumored that [Lowden] is on the shortlist,” Oldman said.
Steven Knight has now offered a major update on the new James Bond movie.
The ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator confirmed that he has completed the first draft of the Bond script in an interview with Zoe Ball on the U.K.’s Greatest Hits Radio. When Ball asked Knight if he had completed the draft, he replied: “I’m nodding silently.” Knight also shared his excitement about working on the franchise. “I’m absolutely loving doing it. It’s an honor to be asked. And believe it’s going to be so good. I really do believe it’s going to be amazing.”
Denis Villeneuve will direct the film, with Amazon MGM Studios producing the next installment. Knight previously hinted that he knows who will play the next Bond and explained why knowing the actor can make the writing process easier. “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.” His comments suggest he wrote the script knowing who would play the next Bond, while still focusing on the character rather than tailoring the role to the performer.
Jack Lowden remains one of the names linked to the role. He has built a varied career on screen beyond ‘Slow Horses.’ He starred as Nikolai Rostov in BBC’s ‘War & Peace’ and played Tony Benn in ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’. His film credits include ‘Dunkirk’, ‘Mary Queen of Scots’, ‘Fighting with My Family’ and ‘Benediction.’
Lowden earned strong praise for ‘Calibre,’ while ‘The Gold’ gave him another major television role. Steven Knight’s ‘Peaky Blinders’ ran for six seasons before the story continued with ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.’ His other television credits include ‘Taboo,’ ‘SAS: Rogue Heroes,’ ‘A Thousand Blows,’ ‘This Town,’ and ‘House of Guinness.’ Knight wrote films such as ‘Dirty Pretty Things,’ ‘Eastern Promises,’ ‘Locke,’ ‘Spencer,’ and ‘Maria.’ He also co-created ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’
