The Female Actress Who Should Play James Bond Next, According To Chris Hemsworth

charlize theron as james bond

Daniel Craig has been playing James Bond for over a decade now, and there's been quite a bit of talk that his tenure as the martini-drinking secret service agent may be ending soon. Because of this, there's also been a lot of speculation related to who could take over next, and one major actor has some strong opinions about who should be the next bond. Thor: Ragnarok actor Chris Hemsworth recently shared his and his pick was pretty intriguing. In fact, he said he'd love to see Charlize Theron in the 007 role, noting that she has the strut and the stunt capabilities to pull off that sort of gig. He said:

She embodies every sort of ounce of strength and nobility and dignity and integrity that that character should have. She's smart as hell. She's physically able. I worked with her on Snow White and the Huntsman. Watching her in those fight scenes, doing it in high heels, by the way, and an eight-foot long gown was even more impressive.

Although Hemsworth is simply endorsing the idea of Charlize Theron tackling the role, it's pretty easy to see why the topic might be coming up now. Theron is starring in Atomic Blonde, a spy movie where Theron plays an agent for MI6. That flick is hitting theaters in just a few days. If you've been keeping tabs on Theron's career for a while, we already knew she was good with some of the stunt stuff, taking on a lot while filming Snow White and The Huntsman--as Hemsworth pointed out to W Magazine--and especially Mad Max: Fury Road. While training for Atomic Blonde, she ended up going so hard that she cracked some of her teeth and had to have oral surgery, so clearly she has the drive to take on physical roles and stick with them when the going gets hard.

Of course, it could be a while before there is another person playing Bond. As recently as a week ago, we learned that behind the scenes it seemed like talks have been faring well for Daniel Craig, and he may have already reached a deal to return as James Bond. Nothing has been officially confirmed on that front in the time since, but there's a good chance Daniel Craig will be back for a fifth film. Other names have also been bandied about by fans, but a recent report stated that Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, James Norton, Henry Cavill and Aiden Turner could all potentially take on the role.

Former James Bond actors have come out to name their picks, and Roger Moore said before he passed away earlier this year that Hugh Jackman (who formerly passed on the role) and Damian Lewis would both be good picks. Pierce Brosnan has spoken out for Idris Elba and Colin Salmon to potentially take on the role. Ultimately Barbara Broccoli and co get to make the final call, and due to the potential for Daniel Craig to return, it may be a while before the team has to.

If Bond were to switch to a female agent, similar to how Doctor Who is switching to a female Time Lord, there would doubtless be myriad opinions about the change. The good news is that if Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds can name their daughter James, Charlize Theron could certainly keep the moniker as a female 007. What do you think? Would Charlize Theron be a good fit? You can catch her back in action when Atomic Blonde hits theaters on July 28.

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Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.