Saoirse Ronan likely to get a big role in James Bond’s next film

Saoirse Ronan is being tipped by bookmakers to become the new James Bond girl in the next 007 film, which could be a major career pivot for the Irish actress.

The licensed murder detective hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2021’s No Time to Die, which saw Daniel Craig play the iconic character for the fifth and final time.

While the race is on to replace Craig, Lady Bird actress Ronan is 5/1 to be named the next Bond Girl, a character who is either a girlfriend, female companion or even enemy to Bond.

Ronan faces stiff competition from former Corrie actress and Fool Me Once’s Michelle Keegan, who is the current favorite for the role at odds of 2/1.

After missing out on the role of Lois Lane in the 2025 Superman reboot, Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor is also in the hunt and has odds of 3/1.

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: ‘Rumours are rife as to who will be the new Bond Girl, and patriotic punters are already showing their support for Saoirse Ronan, who is the frontrunner to land the coveted role.’

Ronan is known to shy away from big-budget films, often preferring to play dramatic roles in some of cinema’s most critically acclaimed films of recent years, such as Brooklyn, Little Women and Mary Queen of Scots.

However, Ronan is looking to move towards more audience-friendly films after both See How They Run and Foe performed poorly at the box office.

Speaking in 2020, Saoirse said she would love to do a ‘Bond’ film and has ‘moved on to bigger things’ in the past but has been passed over for roles.

‘What I really want to do is, like, I want to play a villain in a Bond movie, or something. It would be incredible. But I would really love to do something big,’ she told MTV News.

It could be an Irish-centric James Bond movie, with Paul Mescal reportedly in talks to become the seventh actor to play the character who loves nothing more than a martini that’s shaken, not shaken .

007 producers will be keen to see how Mescal fares in the long-awaited Gladiator sequel later in the year, playing Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus.