Eva Green new Bond girl

French actress Eva Green has been named as the new Bond girl.

The stunning 'Kingdom of Heaven' star will star opposite Daniel Craig, the latest actor to play the dashing spy, in the next instalment of the hugelypopular movie franchise, 'Casino Royale'.

Green will play the role of vixen Vesper Lynd and Columbia Pictures, who will distribute the movie, insist the role will require much more than justsex appeal.

Columbia studio boss Amy Pascal said: "Vesper is a pivotal role in CasinoRoyale and it takes much more than beauty to make this role work.

"When you think about the great James Bond adventures, of course you think about action and espionage, but you need to have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really needed to up the ante. "Thischaracter is very much an equal to Bond and central to our story."

It is believed Green, who bared all in movie 'The Dreamers', narrowly beat actress Olivia Wilde - who recently starred in US teen drama 'The O.C.' - tothe part.