Bridgerton star Simone Ashley eyes Bond girl role in 007 franchise

A Bridgerton star has thrown her hat in the ring to play the next Bond girl.Simone Ashley, who plays Kate Bridgerton in the Netflix hit series, has revealed that she would be keen to join the 007 franchise if given the call.The iconic spy series, which is now being produced by Amazon Studios, is currently searching for the next stars of the beloved franchise.Simone Ashley has revealed whether she would want to join the 007 castPA ArchiveFrontrunners to play the titular spy include Callum Turner, Jack Barton and Jack Lowden, with the latter currently leading the race.But who will round out the rest of the cast? Speaking to Elle UK, Ashley said she could be keen to join the beloved franchise.“I would, yeah. If it happens, it happens! I’m not going to talk about it.“I definitely want to do more movies and find a really delicious TV show to get into.Daniel Craig played James Bond in the latest films in the franchisePA Archive“I’d love to do an action movie. Something fantasy, maybe,” she said, though explained that her loyalties lie with Bridgerton and she would never leave. “I’m in it till the end!”Last month, producer Amy Pascal shared a promising update on the casting process and when the name of 007 might be revealed, saying that “the end of the year is a good bet”.“I mean, Daniel Craig is a hard act to follow. And it’s got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different,” she added.Ashley is not the only A-list actor to express her interest in joining the franchise.Simone Ashley stressed that her loyalties do lie with BridgertonGetty“I said that I wanted to be a Bond villain and I’m dead serious,” she told Empire.She said that it would be “really interesting” for the franchise to feature a young female villain, “especially for girls and women”.“To see someone who can just take all that pent-up anger and direct it somewhere, there’s something interesting in that dramatically.