Amid the swirling rumors about who will step into the legendary shoes of James Bond, one name has been echoing more prominently than others in the glamorous corridors of Hollywood this week.
Enter Lauren Sanchez.
However, the 56-year-old, who is married to Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, is not gearing up for a role as a female 007 on the big screen. Instead, the buzz suggests that Sanchez has been granted the power to choose the next actor to take over from Daniel Craig as the iconic spy.
This intriguing claim comes from entertainment journalist Rob Shuter, who shared on his substack that Mrs. Bezos has become the “invisible hand” guiding the Bond franchise ever since Bezos acquired MGM Studios in 2022.
Shuter reported that within the newly established Amazon MGM Studios, “it’s Lauren’s decision now. If she’s not impressed, it’s over.”
However, sources with insider knowledge have clarified to the Daily Mail that the idea of Sanchez having a role in selecting the next Bond is purely a Hollywood fantasy, dismissing the speculation as nothing more than a tall tale.
With speculation running rampant about the identity of the next James Bond, one name has been whispered louder than others in Hollywood circles this week
‘No, she’s not picking the next James Bond. And no, she’s not going to be a Bond girl either — except maybe for Halloween,’ an insider said.
Shuter, who previously claimed that Bezos wants his buxom wife to be the next Bond girl, had also alleged that Sanchez ‘has a very specific vision’ for the legendary character, adding that Wuthering Heights heartthrob Jacob Elordi ‘isn’t it.’
Sanchez envisions a Bond that is ‘polished, charming, globally appealing… not someone who looks like he’s carrying emotional luggage,’ Shuter claimed.
Elordi, 28, has recently been thought of as something of a frontrunner for the role.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Sanchez for comment.
While Sanchez — who is no stranger to TV as a former Emmy-winning news anchor — is not involved with any Amazon MGM Studios projects, she was notably prominent in her support for Bezos during the global press tour for his passion project, new Lord of the Rings spin-off series, The Rings of Power.
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Should Hollywood power players have any say in who becomes the next James Bond?
Rumors have been circulating that Sanchez, who is married to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, 62, will pick the next 007 hunk
However, an insider told Daily Mail: ‘No, she’s not picking the next James Bond. And no, she’s not going to be a Bond girl’
Journalist Rob Shuter alleged that Sanchez ‘has a very specific vision’ for the character, and that Wuthering Heights heartthrob Jacob Elordi ‘isn’t it’
And it appears Sanchez does harbor some cinematic aspirations. In 2024, she quietly scrapped a self-funded $2 million feature-length movie project. The shelved film, titled ‘The Golden Door’, had been billed as a psychological thriller.
The hyper-focus in Hollywood on the next Bond casting comes after Bezos officially took creative control over all MGM projects last year.
Following the departure of Daniel Craig, who appeared as Bond in five movies, the 007 films will no longer be produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the daughter and stepson of Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli who launched the British spy franchise in 1962.
Craig, 57, bowed out with No Time To Die in 2021, and since then a host of leading men have been suggested as replacements.
Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, 63, has been a fan favorite, while British actors James McAvoy, 46, and Henry Cavill, 42, also being named.
