Rebel Wilson is at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to pitch her upcoming directorial debut ‘The Deb’

By Staff Author  Published on May 25, 2023 10:41AM EDT

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Could Rebel Wilson have starring role in the next 007 movie?

While speaking with Variety at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for an interview published Thursday, Wilson, 43, revealed that she has auditioned for the next James Bond film, though not for the franchise’s lead role as the iconic British super spy.

“What was really cool was getting to audition for Bond,” Wilson told the outlet, noting that she auditioned for a different character in the franchise’s next movie, which will receive a new look following Daniel Craig’s last turn as Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die.

Wilson explained that the audition came about after she was put in contact with franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to “clear some Bond-related jokes” ahead of her hosting gig at the 2022 BAFTA Film Awards.

The actress and first-time director, who is in Cannes to pitch her directorial debut The Deb, did not clarify whether she actually landed the gig.

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The next Bond movie is still in the works as longtime producers Broccoli, 62, and Wilson, 81, search for their next 007. Back in October, Wilson told Deadline that while casting had not begun for the film yet, the producers would not consider younger actors for the lead role.

“We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn’t work,” he told the outlet at the time. “Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something.”

“He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a 30-something,” he added.

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While no official casting reports have been made yet, both Idris Elba and Taron Egerton have dispelled the notion that they may play Bond next, with Edgerton, 33, saying in March that he does not believe he is “the right choice for it.”

“You have to be consistently statuesque to be that guy,” he told The Telegraph at the time. “And that’s something that I am still striving for. I’ve always struggled with my weight.”

“It’s sort of irrelevant how I feel about it, anyway, because I can tell you there have been zero phone calls,” he added to the outlet.

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Jojo Rabbit star Wilson pitched The Deb — a feature-film adaptation of an Australian musical of the same name — on board producer Len Blavatnik’s yacht in Cannes on Wednesday, where she told Variety her directorial debut had “to be something that I am massively passionate about.”

“I’ve always just been watching as the actress — watching, watching, watching — and then I produced a lot of things with musical numbers in them, like Senior Year on Netflix, which had a lot of cheerleading routines,” she told the outlet. “Everyone kept saying, ‘You should direct!’ ”

Wilson also expects to star in the movie, which is in pre-production, the outlet reported.