Denis Villeneuve, the director of the next Bond film, which is slated to begin shooting in 2027 and does not yet have a title, is expected to begin the casting search for Craig’s replacement in 2026.
Deadline reported in September that Villeneuve and executives at Amazon MGM, which took creative control of the franchise in February, were seeking an unknown male British actor in their late 20s or early 30s to take on the role.
“Whoever it is, has to look like he could kill you with his bare hands in a trice. From the moment you see him, that has to be readily apparent,” a source close to discussions told the news outlet.
Superfans are unlikely to think Sweeney, who was born in Spokane, Washington, fits the bill.
Although Ian Fleming wrote his spy as a lean six-foot male with “jet-black hair”,the idea of a female Bond has been mooted, to much controversy.
In 2015, Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader and current Energy Secretary, suggested Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike, herself a former Bond girl, could play the part.
“I think she’s a great British actress, she’d make a great Bond… I think we can move with the times,” he said, prompting a wave of online mockery.
Elsewhere in her interview, Sweeney seemingly responded to a row over her American Eagle jeans campaign, which some claimed promoted eugenics.
In an advertisement for the brand, the camera zooms in on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress, before displaying the slogan: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
Asked about the “sex symbol” label which is frequently attached to her, Sweeney said: “I’m like, ‘No, I just feel good and I’m doing it for myself and I feel strong.’
“And I hope that I can inspire other women to be confident and just flaunt what they got and feel good because you shouldn’t have to apologise or hide or cover up in any room.”
