The Next James Bond Will Definitely Be a Man, Say Producers
We’ve been down this road before, but supposedly No Time to Die will really, honestly, truly, definitely be Daniel Craig’s final movie as James Bond. It will not be James Bond’s last movie though; he will return, as the end credits of every one of his movies promise. So prepare for several more years of speculation about who will replace Craig. That’s just getting started.
Variety’s new interview with Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson is sure to add a little steam to that conversation. According to Broccoli specifically, they have not settled on anyone to play the next Bond — but they have ruled out about half of the world’s population right off the bat. She says the next Bond will definitely be a man (although he can be a man of any color). Her words:
There are certain things the duo appears open to considering, and other conversations that are nonstarters, when it comes to selecting the next Bond. ‘He can be of any color, but he is male,’ says Broccoli. ‘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.’
As a Bond fan myself, I love seeing female riffs on the Bond archetype. Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde, for example, struck me a very fun variation on classic Bond tropes. And Theron could probably make an awesome “Jane Bond” if that was a direction the producers want to go in. Clearly, they do not. James Bond shall carry on, in some more traditionally masculine form. The question now is what form. No Time to Die opens in theaters on April 10.
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