The future of James Bond is uncertain. Daniel Craig has made no secret of his desire to retire from the role after this final, upcoming film, No Time to Die. (He made no secret of his desire to retire from the role after Spectre too, but he came back one more time.)
The franchise will obviously continue, but who will play James Bond next is unknown. In fact, we don’t even know if the character will be called “James Bond” at all, because perhaps a talented actress may inherit the role next.
That would certainly be different, and perhaps very interesting, and it’s a concept that some Bond fans have argued for for decades. But according to Craig himself, it’s a bad idea. Asked by the Radio Times whether the next Bond should be a woman or an actor of color, Craig replied:
The answer to that is very simple. 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?
Craig’s comments align with those given a few years ago by James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli who said in 2018 “Bond is male. He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as a male. And that’s fine. We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters.”
Craig’s statements are a matter of personal opinion, but Broccoli is one of the most important figures behind the scenes of Bond. If she says Bond should be a man, the overwhelming odds are he’s going to be a man. As to who that man will be, we’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, Craig’s Bond farewell, No Time to Die, will be released in theaters on Oct. 8.