Things are about to get shaken and stirred on the internet. Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the Bond films and head of Eon Productions, has come out as saying that while super spy James Bond could be played by any race, he could never be a woman. In an interview with Variety, when discussing how she and co-producer Michael G. Wilson will select the next Bond actor, she revealed she doesn’t think a woman should play Bond for an interesting reason.
“He can be of any color, but he is male,” she said. “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
The controversy over the casting of Bond has been swirling since before Daniel Craig landed the role years ago, but even more so as the actor has aged. Critics have championed the idea of a Bond of a different race or gender, while others have said there is something integral to the character that necessitates his white, male casting. Of course, the Broccolis have the last say in any Bond decision. The family has shepherded the franchise from the very beginning with Cubby Broccoli handing down the reins to Barbara and her half-brother Michael before his death following the release of GoldenEye. With the two producers coming out with this stance, it’s a clear sign we will never see a female Bond, though the door is wide open for a black, Asian, Indian, or any other race actor to step into the role, it seems.
With No Time to Die officially being Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, we could see someone of a different race playing the character pretty soon. The Variety article points out that the casting of Craig — who was seen as against type when first brought onto the role — and his films’ massive success have emboldened the producers to take risks with the character. What this actually means is anybody’s guess as we still have months until No Time to Die lands, but what it definitely does not mean is that we will be seeing a female Bond.
The article takes a deep dive into the Bond films history as well, showing how Broccoli and Wilson have guided the franchise from decade to decade and evolved the character. No Time to Die is landing in a post-#MeToo era, and Broccoli doesn’t see this as a problem for the famously chauvinistic character. “Bond’s been evolving along with all the other men in the world,” says Broccoli. “Some have just gotten there more quickly than others.”
