Irish actress Saoirse Ronan has confirmed she is dead serious about wanting to play the next James Bond villain in Bond 26.
Saoirse Ronan Makes Her Case for Playing a 007 Baddie
Fresh off her role in the upcoming dark film Bad Apples, Saoirse Ronan has made it clear that she is ready to cross over into cinematic villainy. In her interview with Empire, the Oscar-nominated actress revealed that she is actively looking to explore darker material.
“I want to go dark. I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain, and I’m dead serious.”
Saoirse Ronan, via Empire
She pointed out that it would be really interesting, especially for girls and women, to see someone who can just take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere, offering something dramatically compelling. This campaign is not entirely new for the actress. In 2024, she told Vanity Fair that she would stand by really wanting to play a Bond villain, which she will say again and again, explaining that whenever she gets a chance to play someone who is a little bit evil, she just loves it and thinks it would be really fun to do that again. In another 2024 interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ronan revealed that should she be faced with the ultimate choice, she would rather her husband be Bond than her being cast as a Bond villain. In her latest film Bad Apples, Ronan plays teacher Maria who winds up holding captive a particularly disruptive pupil in her basement. Speaking of the clever writing in the film, she told Empire that she does not feel like Maria is an out-and-out psychopath, calling her the nicest villain you could play.
The Domestic Dynamic and the Broader Bond 26 Field
The discussion around Ronan’s potential casting carries a unique personal twist. Her husband, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, is currently considered one of the frontrunners to play 007. Earlier this month, Richard Osman said that sources had revealed to him that Lowden was being strongly considered for the role as the film entered the final stages of the audition process.
Should both actors be cast in Bond 26, they would become the first married couple to star opposite one another in a James Bond movie. The pair previously worked together on the 2018 historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, where Ronan starred as the famous monarch and Lowden played Lord Darnley, Mary’s second husband. They reportedly married in July 2024 in Edinburgh before welcoming their first child the following year.
Lowden is said to be one of the actors that casting director Nina Gold has had an eye on since she began her search for the next Bond. Gold previously cast Lowden as River Cartwright on Apple TV+’s thriller Slow Horses, which is heading into its sixth series. Meanwhile, Theo James recently ruled himself out of the race for Bond, admitting that he is too old for the role. Other rumored frontrunners for the role alongside Lowden include Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Louis Partridge, Tom Francis, and Harris Dickinson, while fans have been waiting since 2021 to find out who will step into Daniel Craig’s shoes after No Time To Die.
Timeline and Production Details for Bond 26
The search for the next James Bond is underway, with auditions reportedly taking place. Producer Amy Pascal revealed that she is likely to have some news on that front, noting that they are being really, really methodical because Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow.
Bond 26 will be directed by Canadian filmmaker and four-time Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve and is being written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. Whether casting director Nina Gold extends an invitation to Ronan to join the project as a primary female villain remains to be seen as the production moves forward.
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