James Bond has been kicking for over half a century, and though there have been lots of iterations of the CIA scoundrel, from George Lazenby and Pierce Brosnan to Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, all the characters have two things in common: they are white and they are male.
The recent push for diverse characters prompted speculation that the next Bond could be Idris Elba, whose casting would make him the first black Bond. Though he teased fans, Daniel Craig has reprised his role for James Bond 25 in 2020, and no news has come about who will take over the reins once he steps down.
Jodie Whittaker was recently cast as the first female Dr Who, much to fans’ delight and it got people thinking.
Will there ever be a female James Bond?
According to one of the 007 producers, the answer is no, there probably won’t be a female Bond.
Barbara Broccoli, an executive producer on the franchise spoke to the Guardian:
‘Bond is male,’ she stated unequivocally.
He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as a male.
‘And that’s fine,’ she continues. ‘We don’t have to turn male characters into women.’
People are…actually okay with that.
@JOE_co_uk Not strange at all. James Bond is a bloke. Happy to see a woman in an alternative spy franchise.— gavin way (@gavin way) 1538913557
@all_magestic Its difficult fir some I think- I never had an issue with it- but by the same token the chat around J… https://t.co/u697n01Ty1— Navajo Birdsong 🇪🇺🏴🦕 (@Navajo Birdsong 🇪🇺🏴🦕) 1539002144
@BBCNews Its called James Bond for a reason. https://t.co/wkDXJYmlYb— MATIZEK (@MATIZEK) 1538823529
Fans argue that instead of recycling male roles, there should be new leading female roles to empower women
@BBCNews One of many good things about #KillingEve is that it shows how top women writers & actresses can produce r… https://t.co/ZcZCjHKWU3— David Herman (@David Herman) 1538836254
Fair.