Ever since Daniel Craig confirmed that he will definitely be leaving his iconic role as James Bond once he's done with Bond 25, there's been an enormous amount of speculation about who will be the next Bond. Some of the most recent names to hit the rumor mill have been Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, and James Norton.
But the top contender for years has been Idris Elba. Not only is he talented, ruggedly handsome, and sophisticated in a sleek and sexy way, he would also breathe some fresh life into the franchise during a time when diversity in film is on everyone's minds. During the Sony hack in 2014, emails were released that showed that then-studio cochair Amy Pascal was interested in casting Elba as the new Bond, a rumor that he has persistently denied ever since.
In a recent interview with Variety, Elba said yet again that a black Bond was not in the works, but, sensing the shift in the times perhaps, did say that it was perhaps time to "do something different" with the British spy.
"Are we interested in having a Bond character other than being a male?" Elba asked. "Could be a woman, could be a black woman, could be a white woman, but I think, that character, everybody would like to see it have — do something different with it, why not?"
Indeed, with female empowerment dominating the conversation in Hollywood, the time is ripe for a female James Bond (though, preferably, not a "Bond boy," because we also saw how that gender reversal worked out for Ghostbusters). With that in mind, here are some our fantasy picks for a female Bond. So read on, and wonder, "What if?" And for more from the bizarre world of Hollywood, check out the 20 Craziest Celebrity Rumors of All Time.
1 | Alicia Vikander
If the trailer is anything to go by, Alicia Vikander is absolutely slaying as Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot. She's already got the physique and training for the role, so it would be an easy transition from one action hero to another. Plus, she's already reportedly been scouted as one of the top contenders as the Bond girl in Bond 25, so why not just go the extra mile and make her the lead?
2 | Charlize Theron
Andrea Raffin/ShutterstockIf there's one thing that Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde taught us, it's that Theron, 42, excels at roles that are fierce, lethal, and dangerously seductive.
3 | Gillian Anderson
Anderson has been a fan favorite for the role ever since 2016, when someone photoshopped her onto a Bond poster. Even she seemed to agree, after she tweeted out the image with the caption, "It's Bond. Jane Bond."
4 | Priyanka Chopra
In a 2016 interview with Complex, Chopra addressed the rumors that she was being cast as the next Bond girl with the glorious line: "I get that all the time. But [forget] that—I wanna be Bond."
5 | Emilia Clarke
It only seems fair that at least one of the actresses on this list is British, so we don't totally break with tradition. Now that GoT is ending, she'll have a little more free time on her hands, and we certainly know she can rock a mean dont't-mess-with-me face.
6 | Beyoncé
ShutterstockOK, fine, this is a long shot. But she did star as Foxxy Cleopatra in the 2002 Bond spoof, Goldmember, so maybe there's reason to hope?
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