After five long years of wait and seemingly endless speculation, Bond fans may have their next 007 – and villain – courtesy of one A-list couple.

Scottish actor Jack Lowden has emerged as the frontrunner to play the next James Bond according to fan forums and bookmakers.

Now the Slow Horses star’s multi-award-nominated wife, Saoirse Ronan, has expressed her own desire to join the 007 universe.

The Irish actress, 32, who has made her name playing heroines, has opened up about her desire to take on a more sinister role.

“I want to go dark,” Ronan told Empire magazine. “I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I’m dead serious.”

The four-time Oscar nominee urged Bond the franchise to consider a “young female villain”, saying it would be “really interesting”.

“Especially for girls and women, to see someone who can just take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere, there’s something interesting in that dramatically. So I would love to do more of that,” Ronan said.

Slow Horses star Lowden is no stranger to the world of British spies. Photo: Apple TV

Meanwhile Lowden, who met Ronan on the set of the 2018 drama Mary Queen of Scots, has long been in the running to take over from Daniel Craig as 007.

However, he emerged as the frontrunner last week after media commentator Richard Osman shared that he’d heard the actor was being “strongly considered” for the role.

The idea of a married couple being cast as the next Bond movie’s central characters has been welcomed by fans.

Speculation about who will be the next James Bond long predates Craig’s exit from the franchise after 15 years with 2021’s No Time to Die.

Casting finally got under way in May and well-known industry insider Daniel Richtman this week claimed the casting process for James Bond is almost over.

“I hear they’re in the final round of casting for James Bond and might have already found their guy,” he posted, without naming the possible Bond.

The Bond producers are reportedly looking for a young British actor in his 30s who can continue playing 007 several years.

The 36-year-old Lowden, who welcomed his first child with Ronan last year, has taken over the spot as bookies’ favourite from Callum Turner and Australia’s own Jacob Elordi.

Osman told his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast Lowden’s casting was not a done deal, stressing “it’s definitely not a ‘he’s definitely got it’ thing. He is definitely being strongly considered”.

“I think he’d be amazing,” he said.