Jeff Bezos is “obsessed” with casting his wife Lauren Sanchez in the latest Bond film, Hollywood insiders have claimed.
The Amazon founder is reportedly pushing the makers of Bond 26 to consider Sanchez, a journalist, trained pilot, and one-time astronaut, for a role as the latest Bond girl.
Since Ursula Andress first hit screens as the original Bond girl in 1961 playing Honey Ryder in Dr No, the role of the fictional spy’s love interest has become a coveted one.
The role, which has become almost as iconic as that of Mr Bond himself, has been played by the likes of Eva Green, Honor Blackman, Halle Berry and Jane Seymour.
Sean Connery and Ursula Andress in Dr No – Archive Photos
“This isn’t just fantasy casting – Jeff wants her on screen, period,” a Hollywood source told Rob Shuter, a British gossip blogger and former executive editor of OK! magazine’s US edition.
The insider added that the billionaire is “obsessed” with finding a role for his wife, 55, in the new film, which is slated for release next year or early 2027.
Despite fervent speculation, it’s still not clear who will replace Daniel Craig as 007 in the film. The actor bowed out of the franchise after starring in No Time To Die in 2021.
The films director was announced as Denis Villeneuve, the French-Canadian filmmaker behind the Dune franchise, in July.
Bezos, the third-wealthiest person in the world, took over the franchise when he acquired MGM as part of a takeover of MGM studios by Amazon in 2022.
The original producing founders of the Bond franchise, the Broccoli family, controlled the franchise since the first 007 film, Dr No, in 1962.
Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman bought the rights to Ian Fleming’s spy novels in 1961 and set up the British studio Eon Productions, in London.
Bezos’s takeover sparked concern the beloved British spy and his adventures would become “commercialised”, with author William Boyd warning fans they would soon see “007 theme parks”.
“Certainly wait for Bond aftershave – and for the theme park and the dinner jackets,” he told The Observer.
“The new owners will have to commodify everything about their billion-dollar purchase, so there will be nightclubs and vodkas.”
Bezos’s takeover sparked concern the beloved British spy and his adventures would become ‘commercialised’ – Cindy Ord/VF25
Shortly after acquiring the Bond franchise, Bezos tweeted: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” prompting a flurry of posts from concerned fans who begged him: “Please don’t ruin this franchise”.
Others urged the 61-year-old to be true to Mr Bond’s roots and keep him a Brit.
According to Mr Shuster’s Substack, the Amazon mogul can “do what he wants” with the films, after handing over a rumoured $8.5m (£6.3m).
While Sanchez is not well known for her acting, she has featured in a number of films. Sanchez played a television journalist in Fight Club, and made minor appearances in The Day After Tomorrow, Fantastic Four, and White House Down.