Next Bond Girl Odds: Doherty And Wallis Contest Sweeney For Female Lead
The identity of the next James Bond is still up in the air - but the forthcoming 007 movie finally has a new writer in the shape of Steven Knight.
Best known for creating BBC megahit Peaky Blinders, Knight's new role has sparked plenty of speculation among Bond superfans - and betting sites have been reacting to the latest developments.
While the term "Bond Girl" appears to be fading out, there will no doubt be at least one female lead in the next movie.
Knight has written some strong female characters over the years, including Peaky's Polly Gray - who was played by the late, great Helen McCrory - and the eccentric and dark Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman) in his BBC adaptation of Great Expectations.
We can expect to see at least one or two more penned by the star in the next Bond movie.
Bond And The Forty Elephants
Another strong female character of Knight's is Mary Carr.
He can't take all the credit though, because Carr was the real-life leader of the Forty Elephants - also known as the Forty Thieves - who were an all-female crime gang who operated in London in the late 1800s to the 1950s.
In Knight's Disney+ series A Thousand Blows, the gangster is brought to life brilliantly by Erin Doherty, who also delivered an acting masterclass in Netflix miniseries Adolescence.
It's the likes of these roles, and her part as a young Princess Anne in The Crown, that has catapulted Doherty to huge acclaim lately.
Next Bond Girl Odds:
Actor | Odds | Probability |
Sydney Sweeney | 11/8 | 42.1% |
Erin Doherty | 6/4 | 40% |
Florence Pugh | 7/4 | 36.4% |
Annabelle Wallis | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Zendaya | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Ana de Armas | 3/1 | 25% |
Emma Watson | 7/2 | 22.2% |
Jenna Ortega | 4/1 | 20% |
Margot Robbie | 9/2 | 18.2% |
Zoe Kravitz | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Rebecca Ferguson | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Saoirse Ronan | 7/1 | 12.5% |
Mikey Madison | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Marisa Abela | 10/1 | 9.1% |
She recently received a nod in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category ahead of this year's Primetime Emmys, and it would no doubt be another career boost if she landed a spot in a Bond movie.
Doherty is the new 6/4 second favourite on betting apps to be the next Bond Girl, but she hasn't quite managed to push frontrunner Sydney Sweeney down the pecking order.
Sweeney - who is 11/8 favourite - recently received the backing of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, whose wedding to Lauren Sanchez she attended in June.
It was recently reported the newlyweds are planning to invest in a new lingerie line by The White Lotus star.
Sweeney knows the director of the next Bond movie - Denis Villeneuve.
A movie source recently told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Sydney is the top name on the casting sheet for Bond.
"Denis believes she is hugely talented, as well as having an alluring appeal to younger generations, vital in modernising the franchise.
"They’ve hung out together a lot and he has admired her stratospheric rise."
Graceful Bond Girl
Sweeney previously knocked Florence Pugh off top spot in the Bond Girl market, but Doherty's emergence has sent the Dune: Part Two actress down to 7/4 third favourite.
If that wasn't bad enough - Pugh has a new competitor in the shape of Peaky Blinders actress Annabelle Wallis.
The 2/1 chance is well known to Peaky creator Knight as Tommy Shelby's ex, Grace Shelby.
She appeared in the first three series of the BBC show, but the character was killed off when she was shot dead.
However, she made a shock return in series five as a ghost when main character Tommy - portrayed by Cillian Murphy - was hallucinating.
Bond may need some help spooking his enemies when his next outing finally takes place, and Wallis could be an ideal sidekick - because she also has a 007 connection.
In 2014, she appeared in TV miniseries Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond, which focused on the military career of 007 creator Ian Fleming.
Dominic Cooper portrayed Fleming, and Wallis starred as Fleming's mistress Muriel Wright.
Other stars who could be in contention for a Bond Girl role include Zendaya (5/2).
The actress was directed by Villeneuve in Dune and Dune: Part Two, and she is also no stranger to Bond producer Amy Pascal.
Zendaya has worked with Pascal in the Spider-Man movie franchise and also in 2024 tennis movie Challengers, which Pascal also produced.
Paloma's Return
One actress who knows more about appearing in a 007 movie than the others in the Bond Girl market is Ana de Armas.
The star is just 3/1 to reprise her role as Paloma in the next film, which will be the first under the creative control of Amazon MGM Studios.
She played Paloma in the suave spy's last outing, No Time to Die, in which Bond - played by Daniel Craig for the final time - met his maker.
Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega is now just 4/1 to be the next Bond Girl. She has been vocal about starring in such a movie before - insisting she wouldn't ever appear as a female 007.
She told MTV: "I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays. I think that’s so special, but we should have our own.
"I don’t like it when it’s like a spin-off - I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see another badass."
While she clearly doesn't want to portray the main character, Ortega hasn't directly ever ruled out playing a Bond Girl badass role, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see her pop up as one in the franchise's next motion picture.
But she could face competition from the likes of Margot Robbie (9/2) and Zoe Kravitz (5/1).
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
