Academy Award winner Helen Mirren has entered the fray on whether the future James Bond should be male, rebuffing suggestions of a possible gender swap under new owners Amazon MGM Studios.
The 80-year-old actress, who is currently promoting her new film The Thursday Night Murder Club, was asked if the time had arrived for a female 007.
Mirren said to the Daily Star Sunday: "No, it wouldn't work. There have been some incredible women who've worked in the secret services with huge bravery, but James Bond is a bloke."
She went on, "There's space for a fantastic film about a fantastic female agent, but James Bond is James Bond."
The issue of who would replace Daniel Craig—who retired from the role after his last appearance in No Time To Die (2021)—is still one of Hollywood's most discussed issues. Craig's farewell also brought into the spotlight Lashana Lynch as the first female to be officially bestowed with the 007 moniker, a development which contributed even more to the controversy surrounding the character's fate.
Producers have since affirmed that they have a new Bond movie in development at Amazon MGM Studios.
Pierce Brosnan, 72, former Bond star, has also weighed in, supporting Mirren's view. The Irish actor played the superspy in four movies between 1995 and 2002, and he said to Saga magazine: "Oh, I think it has to be a man."
Looking back on his own stint as Bond, Brosnan said: "I wish them all the best. I'm so looking forward to seeing the next man step up onto the stage and see a whole new exuberance and vitality for this character. I love the James Bond world. It's treated me very well. It's the gift that keeps giving. And I'm just sitting in the audience now, saying: 'Show us what you're going to do'."
Speculation for the next 007 remains rampant, with Kick-Ass actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, frequently touted as the favorite. Other possibilities that have been put forward include Idris Elba, 51, Theo James, 39, and James Norton, 39.
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