Sydney Sweeney should be the next James Bond, a Hollywood director has said.
Paul Feig – who worked with the American actress on the psychological thriller The Housemaid – said Sweeney would make a great replacement for Daniel Craig as 007.
Asked about Sweeney becoming a Bond girl in the franchise’s next instalment, Feig said: “I’d rather Sydney be the next Bond. There have been some cool Bond girls, but come on, let her be the super-spy – she’s great.
“She’s one of the hardest-working people I know – so professional, so smart, so savvy. I think she’d be a good spy.”
Sweeney, 28, spoke about her interest in the Bond series last year after the franchise was bought by Amazon, saying: “I’ve always been a huge fan, and I’m excited and curious to see what they do with it.”
Asked whether she would consider playing a Bond girl, she said she would have “more fun as James Bond”.
Bond fans are unlikely to view Sweeney as a suitable successor to Craig, who quit the role in 2021 after No Time to Die, given that Ian Fleming depicted the character as a lean 6ft male with “jet-black hair”.
Actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, Theo James and James Norton have all been touted as potential successors.
However, Amazon’s takeover has triggered concerns that Jeff Bezos could seek to Americanise the franchise, and the idea of a female Bond has been mooted.
Last year, Pierce Brosnan warned against casting an American to play the British spy.
Brosnan, who played 007 between 1997 and 2002, told The Telegraph he “lamented” the Amazon takeover, saying long-time custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson showed “great courage” in handing creative control to the US firm after more than 30 years.
The Bond films were launched by Albert “Cubby” Broccoli in 1962 before his daughter and stepson took over.
Denis Villeneuve, the director of Dune, will direct the next Bond film, which will be written by Steven Knight, who also wrote the series Peaky Blinders.