"Never heard of him": This City Is Ours star responds to James Bond rumours

It's perhaps the biggest burning question in the film industry – who will be the next James Bond? The rumour mill has been swirling, with Jack Lowden and Aaron Taylor-Johnson being linked with the part.

Another name that has been floated around is James Nelson-Joyce, and the actor will have a chance to show off his chops when popular crime drama This City Is Ours returns on Sunday (25 October) with its second season.

Speaking ahead of the return of the BBC series, Nelson-Joyce appeared on Josh Smith's Great Chat Show last week, and was promptly asked about the speculation surrounding Ian Fleming's MI6 spy.

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"Who's James Bond? Never heard of him, don't know what you're on about," he quipped, before adding: "Of course [I'd play him], who wouldn't?. But, it's such a big challenge. But look, never say never. Of course I would, who knows… You know the script."

Nelson-Joyce's words come after several weeks of speculation surrounding Lowden, with the Slow Horses and The Gold star widely considered to be the frontrunner for the highly-coveted part of 007.

Lowden's wife Saoirse Ronan was even asked about the rumours, to which she replied: "Well, Gary Oldman thinks he's James Bond. [That's] its own thing. We're kind of getting on with our life, to be honest."

"We have plenty of other things to be dealing with," she added. "So, yeah, it's not really a subject that's coming up in our house, to be honest. The dog needs to be walked, the dinner needs to be made – we're most focused on that."

Though there is yet to be a casting announcement, the principal creative team for the 26th film in the long-running franchise has been confirmed, with Denis Villeneuve directing from a screenplay by Steven Knight.

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It's unclear what direction the series will head in, though Léa Seydoux – who played Madeleine Swann in Spectre and No Time to Die – expressed concern that the departures of producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson could change everything.

"I really loved working with Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael. It was one of the best experiences, a pure delight. And I don't know, it will be different," she said, though she did add that Villeneuve was a "great choice" as a director.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.