When the twenty-fourth James Bond film "Spectre" premiered in November 2015 it was revealed (through the grapevine) that Daniel Craig would soon be resigning his role as the British secret agent. Around the time of the film's international premiere, Craig publicly announced that he’d be interested in taking an indefinite break from the role. Since "Casino Royale" in 2006, he has played 007 in four films, marking ten years since he succeeded Pierce Brosnan in the spy spot. Ten years is a very long time to invest in doing anything, much less playing the lead in a blockbuster film.
While this news hasn’t been officially announced, the informal remarks resulted in there being talks about a gender-swapped 007, but most of this talk has been confined to Hollywood so far. Fortunately, actresses such as Gillian Anderson and Emilia Clarke, for example, have come forward in support of the idea and have nominated themselves to play Jane Bond, the female version of James Bond.
While it’s too soon to say whether or not a Hollywood Studio will ever release a feature-length film about Jane Bond, fans have certainly been open to this idea, myself included. In anticipation of this possibility coming to fruition, I have come up with a list actresses I believe would absolutely kill it as Jane Bond.
1. Gillian Anderson
One of the first to jump on the bandwagon was Gillian Anderson, star of the hit series X-files, when she retweeted a fan-made photo of herself with a background that looks similar to the 2011Skyfall film poster, along with the words, “It’s Bond. Jane Bond.” As someone who once played an FBI special agent, we can imagine that this would give her the upper hand and would help her in catching the bad guys or gals.
2. Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke swiftly followed Anderson in nominating herself in a recent interview as a possible contender for the role of Jane Bond. She also jumped on the bandwagon and announced her pick for a potential Bond boy. And her pick? Leonardo DiCaprio. Yaas, Emilia, yaas.
3. Tatiana Maslany
In the popular BBC America science fiction thriller television series Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany plays more than one character, each with their own quirks, varying backgrounds and opposing allegiances. Of course, they all look the same, with only their hair and makeup , plus accents to differentiate them from one another. With her being able to master all of these characters, we can imagine that she would be able to add layer upon layer that would contribute to the overall development of Jane Bond.
3. Angelina Jolie
In 2006, Angelina Jolie was offered the role of playing a Bond girl by the producers of Casino Royale, but turned it down, saying that she would rather portray Bond than appear alongside him. Maybe this would finally be her chance?
4. Jessica Chastain
This past September, when rumors were circulating that Idris Elba could potentially be playing James Bond in the next film, Jessica Chastain tweeted this statement, “If he was Bond I’d play ANYTHING in that film, but yes, a villain would be fun,” along with a wink at the end. At the current moment, it’s not certain whether Elba will ultimately be the next in line to play the iconic role of James Bond, but either way, I’m holding you to your word,Chastain. But seriously. Regardless of the character, whether it be Jane Bond or a villain, she would play either one perfectly.
6. Keri Russell
Unlike some of the other actresses on this list, Keri Russell hasn’t been mentioned widely to play the female James Bond. I decided to nominate her because of her role as a Russian spy alongside her husband played by Matthew Rhys in the FX television series The Americans. Although I’d like to think I don’t promote espionage, in this unlikely case, I’ll make an exception.
As spies do, they frequently have to take the disguise of someone else in order to avoid being caught. In her role, Russell does this quite often and constantly finds herself in high stakes situations. With this in mind, she could certainly add an edge to Jane Bond.
7. Halle Berry
From fighting crime as Catwoman in the 2004 film of the same name, to being able to control the weather as super heroine Storm in the X-Men series, and to playing an NSA agent in Die Another Day, alongside Pierce Brosnan, we think Halle Berry could fit the bill nicely as Jane Bond.
