- Primary Subject: Saoirse Ronan's Pitch to Play a James Bond Villain
- Key Update: Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan revealed she is "dead serious" about playing a dark main villain in the upcoming Bond 26 reboot.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 25, 2026
- Quick Answer: Saoirse Ronan told Empire she is "dead serious" about playing a main female villain in the next James Bond movie to showcase a darker role.
With Amazon MGM Studios actively shaping the next era of the James Bond franchise alongside director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Steven Knight, Saoirse Ronan did not hesitate to throw her hat into the ring for a completely different role: the big bad in 007's life.
Saoirse Ronan is "Dead Serious" and "Wants to Go Dark" Playing a Bond Villain
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While the James Bond universe has yet to choose its next James Bond actor to follow in Daniel Craig's footsteps, Saoirse Ronan is putting her foot forward by claiming the villainous role, should there be any.
"I want to go dark," Ronan told Empire, "I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I'm dead serious."
Ronan added, "I think it would be really interesting, having a young female villain. Especially for girls and women, to see someone who can just take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere, there's something interesting in that dramatically. So I would love to do more of that."
This is not the first time the Lady Bird and Bad Apples star has expressed interest in playing a Bond villain.
In fact, in a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, she boldly claimed the role over potentially becoming one of Bond's love interests. “I will stand by really wanting to play a Bond villain, which I will say again and again. Because anytime that I’ve gotten a chance to play someone who’s a little bit evil, I just love it. And I think it would be really fun to do that again.”
In her love for the Bond villains, she finds "the characters very interesting" and believes "having a female villain who wants to take him down and doesn't just want to fall in love with him" would be "something cool" to make the franchise even more iconic than it already is.
Could the Next James Bond Finally Face a Female Villain Again?
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If Amazon MGM Studios grants Ronan's wish, it would break a long-standing, multi-decade pattern for the 007 franchise. While the series certainly featured memorable female henchwomen and assistants to the main antagonists (such as Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp or Lotte Lenya's Rosa Klebb), the primary enemy is almost exclusively men. Perhaps it's time that the newest Bond faces his next female counterpart.
The last time a woman served as the true mastermind behind a Bond film's overarching plot was Sophie Marceau's Elektra King in 1999's The World Is Not Enough.
With Bond 26 planning for a clean creative slate for the franchise, introducing a young, formidable female villain of Saoirse Ronan's caliber might just be the fresh James Bond debut Amazon MGM Studios is looking for.
Interestingly, Ronan's husband, Jack Lowden, is currently among the fan-favorite names rumored to take the 007 role for himself, which, if they play their cards right, sets a potentially hilarious duo to watch on the big screens.
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