With No Time to Die premiering at the beginning of October, we must start preparing ourselves mentally to say goodbye to Daniel Craig’s James Bond. After starring in the title role for more than 15 years, Craig is putting his license to kill away.
There has been a lot of talk about who will take over the iconic role of 007 since Craig announced his retirement after suffering a knee injury on Spectre. There is a lot of talk about who can be the next Bond and whether he should be British-born or a person of color.
One of the hottest possibilities for the next 007 is whether or not the secret agent could be a woman.
Craig did share his opinion on the topic while speaking with Radio Times. The reigning 007 stated, “The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
'No Time to Die'Credit: United Artists Releasing
While the response does advocate for badass roles written for women that are similar to James Bond, it seems that Craig believes a man should step behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. No Time to Die did bring more women on board to the production than ever before with Lashana Lynch joining the cast as an agent heavily rumored to be taking on the 007 codename, and the beloved and brilliant Phoebe Waller-Bridge lending a hand to the scripting process.
Craig did state that British-born Waller-Bridge could be a perfect fit for 007 by stating, “She’s got devilish humor. Her influence permeates a lot of this film. She walked that fantastic line of keeping it as a thriller and being very funny. But Phoebe didn’t come in to change Bond. She came in to spice it up for sure, but she’s a Bond fan—she wasn’t about to take him in a different direction.”
Although we don't know if Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be the next 007, she has made history by being the second woman to be credited as a writer for a James Bond film.Credit: BBC Studios
Sure, Bond could be anyone out there who is charming and savvy enough to win a game of poker after taking out three villains in the stairwell, but the next 007 doesn’t have to be the classic image of Bond we’ve always known.
The truth is, producer Barbara Broccoli has made it very clear that Bond will never be a woman. Broccoli told Variety back in January of last year that Bond can be of any background, race, or creed, but one thing he is not is female.
So it seems Bond will forever remain a man. But a change in direction might be what the franchise needs to bring a newer demographic of moviegoers into the fantastic world of our favorite secret agent.
Who do you think should step into the role of 007? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Radio Times
