Sydney Sweeney Tops Bond Girl Race: 'I'd Have More Fun as James Bond'
One bookmaker has her leading the list. Another puts Margaret Qualley ahead. As the male-lead screen tests begin for Denis Villeneuve's next 007, neither camp has confirmed anything ... and Sweeney says she would rather play Bond herself.
Make It So ↓
Betting markets on Bond Girl casting put Sydney Sweeney at or near the top of the list, depending on which bookmaker you follow. Gambling.com currently has her at +250 (an implied probability of 28.6%), the narrowest odds of any actress named so far for the role opposite Denis Villeneuve's James Bond. BetOnline disagrees: its list has Margaret Qualley at 33%, with Sweeney directly behind at 25%.
Neither bookmaker is running on official information. Amazon MGM Studios has not confirmed a Bond Girl shortlist, a casting timeline, or any female lead for the film. What these markets are pricing is interest and speculation, not inside access.
What the '007 Tests' Actually Are
The "007 tests" referenced in coverage this week are male-lead screen tests, not Bond Girl auditions. Reports say Jack Lowden, the current betting favorite for James Bond at a 62% implied probability on Oddschecker, along with Callum Turner and Jack O'Connell, have reached the final round for the title role. The Bond Girl casting process, if it is running in parallel, has not been described publicly by the studio.
The Competition Field
The list of actresses attached to the role by odds markets is long. Beyond Sweeney and Qualley, Gambling.com also has Lily James (+400, 20%), Monica Barbaro (+500, 16.7%), Anya Taylor-Joy (+800, 11.1%), Florence Pugh (+1000, 9.1%), Jodie Comer (+1200, 7.7%), and Zendaya (+1400, 6.7%) in the mix. Mikey Madison, Milly Alcock, Marisa Abela, Emma Corrin, Brooks Nader, and Livvy Dunne are also listed. Bond films typically have more than one significant female character, so the competition is not necessarily for a single slot.
What Sweeney Said
Sweeney was asked about the Bond Girl rumors at TIFF 2025, where she was in London promoting Christy. "Depends on the script," she told reporters. Then: "I think I'd have more fun as James Bond." It is the kind of answer that neither accepts nor closes the door, and it positions her, not the franchise, as the party doing the evaluating.
The Project Behind the Odds
Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) has been widely reported as the director for the next Bond film. Steven Knight, who created Peaky Blinders, is writing the script. Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing under Amazon MGM Studios. Production is expected to begin in 2027.
The odds narrative here is partly self-reinforcing. The more outlets name an actress, the more that framing becomes the story, which generates more coverage, which keeps the name in the odds. Sweeney has spent 2026 in a sustained visibility cycle: the Novig campaigns, the HELLO! lingerie shoot, the Christy press run. That volume of attention puts her on casting conversations whether she has read for anything or not. Whether it translates into an actual offer from Villeneuve's camp is a question no bookmaker can answer. And Villeneuve himself has not said a word about it.
Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site. We have no affiliation with Sydney Sweeney, Amazon MGM, Denis Villeneuve, or any other party mentioned here. Betting odds are speculative and do not reflect confirmed casting information.
Sources & further reading
- ComingSoon.net: Sydney Sweeney Faces Fierce Competition for the Next Bond Girl Role as 007 Tests Loom (Oct 23, 2026)
- CBR.com: Sydney Sweeney Leads Latest Bond Girl Betting Odds Ahead of 007 Casting (Oct 23, 2026)
- Yahoo Entertainment: Sydney Sweeney Tops The Odds To Become The Next Bond Girl (Oct 23, 2026)
- Wikimedia Commons: Jay Dixit CC BY-SA 4.0 (TIFF 2024 portrait)
