8 stars who'd make a killer Bond girl: Denis Villeneuve's muses who could redefine the role
With casting rumours continuing to mount about the identity of 007, it's worth turning our attention to some of the other vital roles too
It's been more than three weeks since Denis Villeneuve was officially unveiled as the director of the next James Bond film – and some 007 fans are probably still pinching themselves that such a revered filmmaker has signed on for the project.
Villeneuve's announcement – in which he declared himself "a die-hard Bond fan" – was greeted with tremendous excitement from the vast majority of the fanbase, while also kickstarting a renewed flurry of speculation regarding which actor might replace Daniel Craig as the iconic spy.
Harris Dickinson, Jacob Elordi and Tom Holland are among the names reportedly on a wishlist of stars drawn up by Amazon, although we're currently no closer to hearing any concrete updates as to who will be firing the Walther PPK in Villeneuve's film.
Of course, the role of Bond himself isn't the only one that fans are hoping to hear casting news on soon. A plethora of other iconic roles – including M, Q and Moneypenny – are all expected to be recast, and that's before we get to the subject of who might be playing the first villain of this new era.
And then there's the issue of the Bond girl. In recent years, the franchise has made a welcome shift towards rather more three-dimensional female characters than was perhaps once the case – with the likes of Eva Green's Vesper Lynd and Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann noted examples from the Craig era, while Ana de Armas also impressed in a brief but memorable performance in No Time to Die.
The hope is that this will continue into the future – and there have already been some very high-profile actors linked with a role in Villeneuve's film.
With the caveat that these are nothing more than rumours at this early stage, we've looked at eight potential stars who could end up playing a Bond girl...
Who could play a Bond girl in Denis Villeneuve's 007 movie? Rumours explained
Zendaya
Whatever way you spin it, Zendaya is currently one of the biggest stars in the world, and last year was something of a banner year for the Euphoria actor – thanks to her acclaimed roles in both Challengers and Dune: Part Two.
The latter of those films saw her reunite with Villeneuve after making a brief appearance as Chani at the end of his first Dune film, and she is once again teaming up with the Canadian director in the upcoming third instalment of the sci-fi epic.
Rumours of Zendaya starring as a Bond girl will also likely increase further if the speculation about her real-life partner Tom Holland being on Amazon's wishlist to play Bond continues to gather pace, although her casting obviously wouldn't be contingent on Holland getting the role.
She's consistently been seen near the top of bookmakers' lists, and her prior connection with Villeneuve certainly makes it possible – don't rule her out!
Florence Pugh
Another Dune star who has been linked to the role – and who actually recently overtook Zendaya in the bookmakers' odds – is Florence Pugh.
In recent times, Pugh has been one of the most sought-after young actors in Hollywood, shining in a whole host of genres including intense horror flicks (Midsommar), acclaimed literary adaptations (Little Women), Oscar-winning biographical epics (Oppenheimer), tragic love stories (We Live in Time) and comic book movies thanks to her role as Yelena Belova in the MCU. You certainly can't accuse her of lacking range!
Once again, the fact that she has worked with Villeneuve in the Dune films (she's also reprising her role as Princess Irulan in the third entry) makes her an obvious fit, and the director has been very complimentary about her in the past.
It would be fascinating to see Pugh bringing her undeniable talent to the franchise – we certainly wouldn't be getting a two-dimensional character if she was involved.
Anya Taylor-Joy
The fact that the Dune films have cast several of the brightest young stars in Hollywood means Villeneuve has a plethora of previous collaborators to call upon – and another example is Anya Taylor-Joy.
Although her only appearance in the Dune films so far was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the second entry – as a vision of the adult Alia Atreaidis – she's set for a much bigger part in film three, and so should have built up a close collaborative relationship with Villeneuve by then.
She's another star who has shown great range in her career so far – having excelled in horror films such as The Witch and Last Night in Soho, period dramas such as Emma and The Queen's Gambit and post-apocalyptic action in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, among others.
There's no reason to believe she wouldn't be equally at home in the espionage genre, and could certainly make an interesting companion for 007.
Rebecca Ferguson
If Villeneuve wanted to go just a little bit older, then there probably isn't a better option than the brilliant Rebecca Ferguson.
Not only is she another past collaborator of Villeneuve's, thanks to her role as Lady Jessica in the Dune films, but more pertinently she's more than proved herself in the spy blockbuster scene with her memorable role as the much missed Ilsa Faust in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
That role saw Ferguson inhabit a complex, fascinating figure in a franchise that – until her arrival – hadn't always been known for it's strong female characters, and the outpouring of grief that greeted her demise is testament to just how beloved the character was.
Of course, we wouldn't want to see Ferguson play a character exactly the same as Ilsa in Bond, but she's certainly got all the skills to bring an equally intriguing character into another espionage franchise.
Ana de Armas
OK, so this one's improbable. But Ana de Armas – who previously worked with Villeneuve on Blade Runner 2049 – made such an impression with her brief appearance as Paloma in No Time to Die that perhaps he might just be tempted to bring her back for a longer role.
De Armas appeared in just one sequence in the film, but received almost unanimous praise from fans and critics – repeatedly hailed as a highlight of the movie – and has since further proved her action star credentials with the lead role in John Wick spin-off Ballerina.
But in truth, she's highly unlikely to reprise her role for a number of reasons, not least the fact that this new film will be unfolding in a new continuity following the death of Bond at the end of No Time to Die. With that in mind, it wouldn't really make narrative sense for Paloma to reappear.
Another Bond girl from the Craig era, Lea Seydoux, has also previously worked with Villeneuve (she played Margot Fenring in Dune Part Two) but is very unlikely to be back for similar reasons.
Emily Blunt
The last of Villeneuve's previous collaborators it's worth mentioning is Emily Blunt, who led the cast of his crime thriller Sicario a decade ago, back in 2015. Like Ferguson, she's a little older than some of the other names mentioned, but that's no reason to rule her out, and she certainly has all the qualities to play a memorable Bond girl.
One thing's for sure, Blunt has no shortage of experience when it comes to action – with previous credits including Looper, Edge of Tomorrow and The Fall Guy among others.
Interestingly, back in 2018 there were some inaccurate reports that Blunt could become the first female Bond after her odds were suddenly slashed following a flurry of bets, and while that proved to be nothing more than a rumour, perhaps she could step into the franchise in a different role now...
Sydney Sweeney
Moving on to stars who haven't previously worked with Villeneuve, one name who has been frequently mentioned as a possible Bond girl is Sydney Sweeney.
While it's important to note that there's nothing to confirm this at the moment, a report in The Sun recently claimed that she is being eyed for the role, with a source telling the paper that she is "the top name on the casting sheet for Bond".
The article also claimed that Sweeney and Villeneuve were friends and that the director was keen to cast her as part of his bid to modernise the franchise.
If there is any truth to these reports, it would be another major role in Sweeney's impressive rise to the top in Hollywood – with past credits having included HBO hits Euphoria and White Lotus and an impressive range of films encompassing romcom Anyone But You, horror flick Immaculate and upcoming psychological thriller The Housemaid.
Eve Hewson
One star who had been mentioned as a possible Bond girl prior to the announcement that Villeneuve would be directing is Eve Hewson – with reports last October claiming that she had been listed as the new favourite by betting firms.
While there's not much else to go on, Hewson's star is definitely on the rise – with major TV roles in the likes of Bad Sisters and The Perfect Couple earning her plenty of fans and a major role lined up in Steven Spielberg's next film.
Her name has slightly disappeared from the rumour mill more recently, but she's another actor worth keep in mind as we continue to wait for more official news.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
