Daniel Craig has delighted fans by signing on for another James Bond movie but the big question remains: who will be the next Bond girl? The untitled 25th Bond movie has been scheduled for November 2019, penned by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and speculation will continue to mount in the buildup, while the most influential betting sites are sure to get in on the action realising attractive odds for the role. Here are some of the leading contenders for the coveted role:
Marion Cotillard
The Oscar-winning actress has enjoyed a long and glittering career, taking in critically acclaimed films like La Vie En Rose, Two Days, One Night and Rust and Bone. But she has also shown she is not averse to starring in huge blockbusters, including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises and Assassin’s Creed, while she has also showed her fun side in Anchorman 2. She has the smouldering looks typical of a Bond girl, but would also bring serious credibility to the role and is currently the favourite to land it.
Margot Robbie
Robbie was catapulted to superstardom with her eye-catching role in Wolf of Wall Street and has since gone on to improve her standing with several lauded performances in slightly more serious films. She too is a big name and has the right looks to make a success of the role, but there have not been too many blonde Bond girls in recent years.
Gal Gadot
Playing Wonder Woman was a dream role for Gadot, who has become a symbol of feminine empowerment. The Bond franchise has a bit of a sexist history and hiring Gadot could be a good way of cutting ties with the past and presenting a new Bond, who takes as good as he gives.
Jennifer Lawrence
Lawrence is the highest-paid actress in the world and also the highest-grossing female action star of all-time thanks to her starring roles in The Hunger Games. She is another Oscar winner and another passionate advocate of feminism and gender equality. She might not be too keen on a role as a mere sidekick to a historically chauvinistic character, but she would be a huge coup for the producers if they could land her services. She has appeared in various X-Men films alongside The Hunger Games and might be tempted by a role that made her as forceful a presence as Mystique and Katniss Everdeen.
Natalie Dormer
Another Hunger Games alumni is also on the list of potential Bond girls after dazzling as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Landing the role of Bond girl would be a big stepping stone in her career and could help her gain more high-profile roles going forwards, so she would be an interesting option at around 16/1.
Priyanka Chopra
One of India’s highest-paid and most powerful stars would be an interesting choice if the Bond franchise was trying to boost its appeal in that huge market. She has enjoyed a hugely successful Bollywood career and has earned awards since making the transition to US television, but has not quite hit the heights of superstardom in the west, so this could be a great role for her.
Alicia Vikander
This 20/1 shot looks a great bet to be named the next Bond girl after finishing top in a survey conducting by the aptly named organisation The Next Bond Girl. It analysed the 72 previous Bond girls spread across 50 years of movies starring the famous spy, and focused on age, hair colour, height, nationality, number of films under their belt and years since making their film debut. Vikander, who has recently starred as Lara Croft, finished top of the ladder, ahead of Rachel Hurd-Wood, Ellarica Gallacher and Lily Collins.
