Why The World Needs A Female James Bond
Angelina Jolie
Jolie is THE definition of the female Bond. In a 2010 Vanity Fair interview she discussed how she had been approached to play a Bond girl before but she refused because she wanted to BE James Bond. That comment won her the lead role in Salt, which was originally written as a male character - they changed it for her. Whatta #boss! If casting directors wanted to go with an established "veteran" Bond who is already an expert at everything then Jolie ticks all the boxes. She can do rough-house action and is super-fit (Lara Croft in Tomb Raider), can play a convincing assassin/spy (Mr & Mrs Smith, Salt, Wanted), is at home in both a slinky gown or a sleek tux on the red carpet, is fiercely intelligent and worldly, is already an international #girlcrush and sex symbol and has already done a convincing British accent a number of times. Plus, she has her pilot’s licence and being a confessed adrenalin-junkie would probably insist on doing her own death-defying stunts. No-brainer!
Scarlett Johansson
Seductive - tick! Brilliant actress - tick! Can do action scenes - tick!
Scar-Jo kicked serious ass in her Black Widow role in Avengers and Iron Man2, and is red-carpet polished in real life bringing the requisite suaveness required of Bond. Her ability to play complex somewhat flawed characters (Match Point, Lost In Translation, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Other Boleyn Girl) could bring some much-needed vulnerability to the role of the hardened spy.
Cate Blanchett
Fact: Blanchett can play any role she wants to and do any accent. We know she can handle a gun with killer instinct (Hanna) but her serious rough-and-tumble action chops are yet to be tested. While she’s Aussie, she has the refined British froideur down pat and with her fiercely intelligent wit and quiet confidence, we see her potentially being the slickest Bond yet.
Kate Beckinsale
Fans of the Underworld films already know Beckinsale as a fearless female warrior battling supernatural beasts like vampires and werewolves. Her character Selene’s ability to handle multiple firearms while performing complex fighting acrobatic sequences would serve her well as Bond, against villains much bigger and hairier than herself. Her delicate elfin features belie a steely stomach of cast iron against all manner of horrific blood and gore so we think not much would phase her in her role as the unflappable British Secret Service agent. While she lives in LA, her accent is all Bond already having grown up in Chiswick, London, England.
Emily Blunt
Having already nailed action-heavy roles in movies like Sicario and Edge of Tomorrow, it’s not a stretch to see Blunt as Bond - she already has the athleticism & (real) accent in the bag. We already know she can play a ruthless assassin - her performance as a snippy senior assistant in Devil Wears Prada: ice cold!
Rachel Weisz
Weisz brings her blue-blood Brit credentials (and accent) to the role of Bond, with her cultured background in film and theatre growing up in Westminster, England. This is perfectly balanced by the physicality of her previous roles in action-thrillers like The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and Constantine. Not an obvious contender, we think she could be the dark horse in this race…
Daisy Ridley
Central casting may ultimately decide to take a fresh angle with the changing of the guard and go with a younger star to portray a Bond still up-and-coming. After her star turn in another much-loved fan-driven franchise (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) Ridley has proven she can carry an action lead role. Authentic British accent is a bonus.
Gillian Anderson
The Twitter-sphere went off this week with fans doctoring up faux Bond posters featuring Anderson as #JaneBond and we don’t doubt she could do it. The cool-under-pressure Agent Scully, but with a bigger wardrobe budget & more exotic locales - we can totally see it!
