Rosamund Pike Goes Full Bond Villain in Now You See Me 3
Rosamund Pike is channeling her Bond-era chill for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, teasing a sleeker, more ruthless antagonist as the heist franchise shuffles the deck for its third act.
Rosamund Pike is back in her villain era, and she sounds like she’s having a great time with it. For Now You See Me 3 — officially titled Now You See Me: Now You Don’t — she’s pulling from lessons she picked up in her Bond days to make a bad guy who’s charming, slippery, and very fun to watch.
Bond playbook, new magic trick
The Golden Globe winner told GamesRadar that playing a Bond antagonist early in her career reshaped how she thinks about on-screen evil — specifically, that audiences love villains who are clearly enjoying themselves. So for her new character, Veronika, she’s leaning into mischief and unpredictability.
'I wanted Veronika to be having fun. I think the best villains are, which I kind of learned probably post-Bond, really. They’re most watchable when they’re fun to watch and they’re having fun.'
Meet Veronika: billionaire, benevolent... until she isn’t
Pike plays a diamond-industry billionaire caught up in money laundering. On the surface, Veronika can be warm and persuasive — the kind of leader who can talk to workers and dignitaries at her diamond mine and sound completely credible. Then, in a breath, she shifts into ruthless boardroom mode. That sudden gear change is the point: Pike wants her to be entertainingly unpredictable.
She also hinted at a deliberate edge to the characterization: Veronika is framed as a feminist leader, someone you might admire, even as the movie lets you see how calculating she can be. It’s the blurred-line version of a villain — admirable and manipulative at the same time.
Why Pike signed on
Beyond crafting a memorable heavy, Pike said she wanted to be in something that’s simply a good time — not homework. She also wanted a character who could actually go toe-to-toe with the franchise’s brainy Four Horsemen, not just chase them from set piece to set piece.
The film at a glance
- Official title: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (aka Now You See Me 3)
- Director: Ruben Fleischer
- Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher return as the Four Horsemen; Rosamund Pike joins as Veronika
- Release date: November 14, 2025 (theaters)
If Pike delivers what she’s teasing — a charismatic operator who can flip from benevolent to brutal on a dime — she could be the franchise’s most watchable foil yet. Consider my interest piqued.