There are various fundamental aspects to the James Bond character, but arguably the two most essential aspects are that Bond is British and male.
Former Bond franchise steerer Barbara Broccoli was very clear on this, and insiders talking with the British trades after Amazon took creative control of the franchise made it clear that in any works based on the property, Bond “has to be British or from the Commonwealth – and he has to be male.”
Now, the one and only Dame Helen Mirren has weighed in on the debate while promoting “Thursday Murder Club”. She tells Saga Magazine she doesn’t think a woman should portray the character:
“I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.”
Mirren’s co-star Pierce Brosnan, who himself played Bond across four films from 1995-2002, also weighed in about the new era of the films, saying:
“I wish them well. I’m so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character. I adore the world of James Bond. It’s been very good to me. It’s the gift that keeps giving, and I’m just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying: ‘Show us what you’re going to do.'”
Steven Knight is penning the script for the next Bond film at Amazon MGM Studios with Denis Villeneuve set to direct once he wraps “Dune Messiah”.
