Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz will play a Bond girl in Sam Mendes' followup to last year's Skyfall, reports Yahoo.

Cruz, whose husband is Skyfall villain and fellow Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, will film her scenes next summer, according to the site. Such a move suggests the 24th official James Bond adventure might hit cinemas earlier than expected, in late 2014 or early 2015. The film had been expected to be delayed due to Mendes' commitments to a stage version of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a new version of Shakespeare's King Lear.

The move also suggests the series is "ageing up" in deference to star Daniel Craig's advancing years. The British actor is 45 and Cruz will be 40 by next summer, making her the oldest Bond girl ever. Honor Blackman, the previous holder of that title, was 39 when she played Goldfinger's Pussy Galore opposite Sean Connery's 33-year-old 007 in 1964.

A source reportedly told Yahoo: "The producers have tried to get Penélope before, but she has never been available because of other commitments. The discussions have been going on for some time and they are working out the contract details now."

Mendes was last week reported to be returning to the series, following critical and commercial success for the $1.1bn Skyfall, the highest-grossing Bond of all time, in the series's 50th year. Production company Eon and studios Sony and MGM are said to be prepared to wait for the Oscar-winning director to complete his current commitments before embarking on a new film.