James Bond is one franchise that has seen the leading role being played by many different actors. With this, lots of critics have come forward to ask for a change. The change that they wish to see is a female in the shoes of 007.
A new debate has begun on if the main character and the director of upcoming James Bond films should be female instead of male. Sam Mendes of the “Spectre” and “Skyfall” instalments believes it’s time for things to change and a different vision should come as the focal point of the 007 franchise.
While it’s a debatable point, Producer Barbara Broccoli shut down rumors that the main character will be a female. Broccoli has stated that the main character will be a male. Many support her point, stating that the character was conceived, written, and presented as a male.
However, with changes times, one could argue that “made up” characters really hold no one size fits all identity.
Mendes said:
“I don’t envy Barbara having to follow Daniel’s [Craig] five movies. He reinvigorated the franchise, but the franchise is so huge that it’s very difficult for a younger actor to step into that. Let me rephrase that: I think that the actor playing Bond is going to evolve, the director has to evolve. I think it would be wonderful to see a woman directing Bond. I think it would be wonderful.”
Throwing his hat into the ring, Daniel Craig also spoke out about the topic.
Daniel Craig states:
“There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”
Producer Barbara Broccoli had to say:
“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. I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles. I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women. He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race].”
Actress Idris Elba is a fan favorite, and he was asked if she is being considered for the role. Elba shut down rumors saying that there were no discussions of 007 castings, saying he’s “not that guy” and the role is not a “goal” of his career.
Producer Barbara commented on the situation saying:
“It’s not just casting a role. It’s about a whole rethink about where we’re going. We’re working out where to go with [Bond], we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script, and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is, and that takes time.”
It must be noted that The upcoming reinvented Bond film is expected to be roughly two years away. The direction of the franchise may change as well since it is now owned by Amazon.
