Male or female, a big change is coming for 007.
Believe it or not, and we probably won’t believe it until we are sitting in the cinema watching it, Bond movie No Time to Die is finally being released later this month – and this is a big one, as it also marks the final farewell for Daniel Craig in the role after five movies playing the suave spy.
And of course, the chatter about who will be next to take on the iconic 007 role has begun, before we have even seen Craig’s swan song. Speculation has been rife over who will take over from as far back as the release of Spectre – possibly even earlier.
But while we do not know who the producers are eyeing up next, there are people out there who want to see a woman in the role. And, while a woman would easily be able to deliver the type of performance required for Bond, it remains a hot topic with others adamant that the character should stay male. Craig himself has an opinion on the matter, too.
The actor spoke to Radio Times print magazine, weighing in with his own thoughts on a female 007 following in his footsteps and getting behind the wheel of the Aston Martin. And while Craig does not think this particular role should be given to a woman, he does think that women and people of colour should be offered roles of this calibre.
“The answer to that is very simple,” he said. “There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
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Though Bond is very much a man for now, the No Time to Die did bring more women on board, both in front of and behind the camera. Lashana Lynch joined the cast as an agent heavily rumoured to be taking on the 007 codename, and Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge came aboard to lend a hand to the scripting process, with Craig revealing she was the perfect fit.
“She’s got devilish humour. 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.”
Read the full interview with Daniel Craig in this week’s Radio Times – out now. No Time to Die will be released in the UK on 30th September 2021. If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Movies hub for the latest news.