Saoirse Ronan addressed rumors that her husband, Jack Lowden, has been cast as James Bond after Gary Oldman claimed that his Slow Horses co-star may “be on the shortlist.”

Ronan told the Associated Press on Sunday that Oldman “thinks [Lowden is] James Bond,” but would not reveal whether the speculation was true.

“[That’s] its own thing,” Ronan continued. “We’re kind of getting on with our life, to be honest. We have plenty of other things to be dealing with. 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.”

The Golden Globe winner added that Lowden is “having a good time” filming new episodes of Slow Horses, which is currently airing its sixth season on Apple TV.

Oldman revealed in September that Lowden was among those rumored to take over the role of the British secret agent after Daniel Craig exited the Bond franchise in 2021.

“It’s been rumored that he’s on the shortlist,” Oldman told Canada’s The Morning Show. “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.”

It was unclear at the time if Oldman’s comments were based on his industry relationships or wishful thinking. Oldman clarified his statement later that month while speaking on a Visionaries panel at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he explained that he is aware of a six-person shortlist, but does not know which actor will be playing 007.

“I heard a rumor that they’ve picked James Bond, but they haven’t announced it yet, which is their prerogative,” Oldman said on Sept. 10. “Even if I knew … I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not going to open my mouth. So, I do not know who, but I’m hoping it’s Jack.”

Denis Villeneuve has been tapped to direct the upcoming Bond film, which will be the first from Amazon MGM after the studio gained full creative control of the character and its IP in February 2025. Steven Knight, the British screenwriter behind Peaky Blinders, Dirty Pretty Things and Spencer, is writing the script.

Several A-list actors have been rumored to be the next Bond, including Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Tom Holland, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harris Dickinson and Lowden, but Amazon has not yet announced any casting decisions.

Soon after Warner Bros. Discovery accepted Paramount‘s acquisition proposal in February, then-Paramount CEO David Ellison pitched senior Warner executives on his $110 billion takeover of their company.

Seven months later, at a town hall meeting held at the same location, the Steven J. Ross Theater on the Warner lot in Burbank, Ellison spoke to employees from both companies as CEO of their new corporate parent, Skydance Media. A lottery was involved in getting seats in the theater for staffers, with some Paramount executives braving morning traffic for the drive over the hill. The Tuesday event, which offered a preview of the logistical and strategic complications ahead, was also live-streamed.

Over an hour of prepared remarks and Q&A with CNN host Anderson Cooper, Ellison talked up his love of film, vowed to protect CNN against Donald Trump’s attacks, and acknowledged the operatic merger process.

Ellison and Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz were the only speakers during the event. They both stressed the importance of operating as one united company even though they have agreed to maintain two separate studio lots.

The deal’s official close Tuesday “caps off a long-term plan that’s three years in the making,” Ellison said, alluding to the 2025 merger of Skydance and Paramount, which was quickly followed by the WBD quest.

“The last time I was here, I talked about why I got into this business in the first place,” he said. “I love filmmaking. I love the combination of creativity, technology and sheer human ingenuity that goes into taking an idea and turning it into something that can move millions of people around the world.”

While Ellison didn’t volunteer the word “layoffs” in his remarks, he seemed to be reading the room, which is gripped with anxiety over the inevitable cuts. With the company saddled with $80 billion in debt and promising to cut $6 billion in costs, thousands of workers are expected to be let go.

“Bringing together two companies of this size and complexity will require difficult decisions,” Ellison said. “There will be changes, and there will be impacts. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. What I can promise you is that we will move through those decisions as quickly and thoughtfully as we can. We will communicate directly. We will tell you what we know when we know it. And we will not allow a prolonged integration process to distract us from the reason we brought these companies together in the first place: which is to build the next generation media and entertainment company.”

Pressed on the topic by Cooper, the execs declined to offer projections or percentages, reiterating messages from the staff memo they sent earlier in the day and telling the crowd, “You can’t cut your way to growth.”

CNN will continue to have “complete editorial independence,” Ellison told Cooper, adding that he would shield the network from Trump’s interference and criticism.

Despite his family’s closeness to Trump and the MAGA White House, Ellison told Cooper Tuesday that he supported CNN’s efforts to fight the president’s ban of the outlet from the Executive Mansion and exclude it from other coverage.

Asked by reporters in Washington about the deal’s completion, Trump said Skydance is “going to be a great company,” according to a White House pool report. “They’re terrific people.”

Cooper was universally praised by attendees for doing “a good job” asking “tough questions.” Reaction to the responses from Ellison and Kreiz was mixed, with some commending them for tackling difficult topics while others underwhelmed by their “vague non-answers.”

The mega-deal sailed through regulatory approval before hitting a major legal snag in July. Twelve states filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the deal, with the WGA bringing a similar suit. Both were eventually settled after tense negotiations.

“It wasn’t easy to get here,” Ellison told employees. “At times, it was downright ugly. And at nearly every turn, someone told us it couldn’t be done. And here we are.”

Applause and occasional laughter punctuated the prepared remarks. When Ellison introduced 14 members of the new company’s executive leadership team, the crowd let out whoops when he mentioned Makan Delrahim, Chief Legal Officer and President, Global Corporate Affairs. “None of us would be here if it weren’t for Makan,” Ellison said of the former head of the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust division.

Overall, there was “a muted, polite response and applause to moments in Ellison’s remarks as people are dubious and skeptical,” one person said while another felt that there was “hopeful enthusiasm in the room.”

Ellison shared the microphone with Kreiz, the former Mattel CEO who was named Co-CEO of Skydance last week. He called the newly merged entity “one of the most exciting companies in the world,” insisting that he didn’t mean that “hyperbolically.”

He reiterated some of the themes of the memo he and Ellison sent employees earlier in the day, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of unity among employees from the merging companies.

“The industry is at an inflection point, and we have the assets, the brands, the capabilities, the global reach, and most importantly, the people, to be a driver of growth and innovation and rethink business models,” Kreiz said. “Our mission is to build the next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology.”

Despite Ellison’s origins as an actor in films like Flyboys, one employee who viewed the livestream of the town hall said he came across as less polished than Kreiz. That impression would hardly be a surprise, as the 61-year-old Kreiz has been CEO of multiple companies, including a stint at Mattel where he spoke often at investor conferences, on earnings calls and the like.

Both Ellison and Kreiz said “what they needed to say” but their battle for the hearts and minds of weary WBD staffers, who have been through a string of failed acquisitions, may be only now beginning.

“No one really trusts their word,” one person said.

EXCLUSIVE: Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Oscar-winning filmmaker Brian Helgeland’s Outside Man. Deadline first told you about the Teton Ridge Entertainment production back in April which stars Ice Cube and Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones. Cameras will roll on the movie in November.

The project reteams Oscar winning L.A. Confidential co-scribe Helgeland with his Finestkind actor Jones.

Helgeland wrote and directs Outside Man which follows former Chicago mob enforcer Ruben Bowman (Ice Cube). After Ruben is released from prison, he is a man intent on changing his life. Disappearing into rural Texas, he finds work under a skilled furniture craftsman and retired Texas Ranger Gus Wanamaker (Jones). As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, that bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.

Pic is produced by Jillian Share and Jen Gorton of Teton Ridge Entertainment; Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz of Cube Vision; Bill Gerber; and executive produced by Helgeland; Justin Bursch; Madeleine Moore for Teton Ridge Entertainment; and Ben Hurwitz for Cube Vision.

Focus notched their highest grossing movie ever this year in Curry Barker’s Obsession which grossed in excess of a half billion at the global box office. Upcoming is Robert Eggers’ Werwulf on Christmas Day; Elsinore from Simon Stone starring Andrew Scott, Georgia Oakley’s fresh take on Jane Austen’s beloved classic, Sense and Sensibility; Sarah Polley’s The Bell Jar starring Billie Eilish in her debut feature role; as well as Barker’s next big screen horror feature, Anything But Ghosts in early May 2027.

Teton Ridge Entertainment’s mission is creating TV and film projects celebrating the spirit of the American West. Teton Ridge Entertainment recently received a full-series order from Netflix for Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic, with East of Eden’s Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart set to adapt. Other high-profile iconic Western IP acquisitions for the production label include High Noon, from filmmaker Stanley Kramer; Louis L’Amour’s beloved bestseller Fallon; and the life rights of Oscar-winning actor John Wayne.

CubeVision has produced the Oscar-nominated and box office hit Straight Outta Compton ($201.6M WW), along with many franchises that include Friday, Barbershop, Are We There Yet? and Ride Along, and many other films. Upcoming projects include Ride Along 3 at Universal, Are They Gone Yet? at Skydance Sports, Sony’s upcoming 24 Jump Street and Last Friday at Skydance. In total, Ice Cube and CubeVision films have grossed over a billion dollars at the box office.

Helgeland is represented by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Ice Cube is represented by Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole and UTA. Jones is represented by CAA and Jacobson, Russell, Saltz, Nassim & De La Torre.