Cara Delevingne Says She Could Be the Next 'Jane Bond'

Imagine a version of 007 who walks into MI6 with a cigarette holder and a smile. Cara Delevingne made that image wink into existence while promoting her new film Club Kid, teasing she could be the next 'Jane Bond' — or, if not, one of the franchise's great new villains.

The search for Bond's successor has become Hollywood's favorite riddle: names fly weekly, rumors multiply, and nothing is ever confirmed. Delevingne has been part of that orbit for more than a decade. The first whispers tied her to Bond back in 2013 when reports suggested the young model might appear opposite Daniel Craig. By 2017, other outlets claimed producers had their eye on her again.

She hasn't hidden the idea. At the European premiere of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, she told The Sun she would prefer to play Bond herself — bluntly insisting women are fully capable of stepping into the role. Now, speaking about Club Kid, she repeated the quip: Jane Bond or villain, take your pick. It sounded lighthearted. But in Bond world, a joke is often read as a casting breadcrumb.

The villain option isn't empty bravado. Delevingne already inhabits darker territory on screen. Her turn as the Enchantress in Suicide Squad showed she can slip into seductive, dangerous roles with a hint of the supernatural. And there's a real creative case for a modern female antagonist: outlets like Game Rant argue that since Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love, the franchise has lacked a standout female villain. A carefully written, contemporary villainess could give the next installment a sharp new edge.

Fans have been tossing around the 'Jane Bond' idea for years. Gillian Anderson used the phrase in a 2016 tweet, and the conversation about a woman taking on 007 has never entirely faded — it surfaces whenever casting talk heats up.

The timing of Delevingne's quip matters. Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next Bond for Amazon's MGM, with Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing and Steven Knight reportedly on screenplay duty. Industry chatter points to a production start around 2027 and a potential 2028 release, though no official schedule has been announced.

No casting announcements have been made. Yet names keep piling up. Variety has reported that Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult participated in screen tests. Callum Turner, Josh O'Connor and Jack Lowden have been floated as leading contenders, and Harry Styles is said to have had discussions with the filmmakers. Against that crowded backdrop, Delevingne's re-entry into the rumor pool is hardly surprising.

Whether she ends up sipping a martini at the Oak Bar or plotting in the shadows with a villainous grin, Delevingne has reminded the industry and fans that the 007 puzzle still has plenty of unsolved pieces — and that sometimes the wildest suggestions are the ones worth watching.