Could James Bond Ever Be A Woman? Here's What Barbara Broccoli Says

James Bond in Bond 25 out in 2020.

As Doctor Who's Time Lord becomes female this fall, there's been another debate about a long-standing character that has gotten some attention. Could James Bond ever become a female character? Longtime producer Barbara Broccoli doesn't really think so. She said in a recent interview:

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.

So, there you have it. If you've been a person who has been interested in the idea of James Bond becoming Jamie Bond or Jane Bond or whatever, for as longs as Barbara Broccoli is involved with the franchise, James Bond is likely to remain male. Although it's worth pointing out that Broccoli says "probably" rather than a more definitive "never."

We're living in an era when lots of characters are changing races and genders. Characters on the big and small screen may be different than their book or comics counterparts and reboots have enabled different characters to take shape, as well. The aforementioned Doctor Who switcheroo has been a big example of this in recent months, but lots of projects have characters who have changed genders or races, including Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and tons of superhero projects, with The Flash recently casting Kiana Madeira as the traditionally-male Spin.

As for whether or not Bond could stop being a white British dude, the desire for Idris Elba to take on the role seems to be going strong. Daniel Craig is expected to be done with Bond once Bond 25 finally sashays into theaters and a new Bond will be hired in his place.

Regardless, there are no plans for Idris Elba to take over right now--and he's even been open about that. While we'll have to wait and see who eventually gets hired, Barbara Broccoli also spoke to The Guardian about how Bond has evolved over time. In fact, it has gotten away from the image of females only being desirous sexual objects the franchise was known for in its early days, noting,

But look at the way the world has changed. And I think Bond has come through and transformed with the times. I've tried to do my part, and I think particularly with the Daniel [Craig] films, they've become much more current in terms of the way women are viewed.

Indeed, everything from the types of female characters being written to their costuming has worked to change the audience's viewpoint regarding what it means to be a Bond girl.

Plenty of people in Hollywood have given opinions about a female James Bond, ranging from being all for a gender swap to not believing it is necessary. It looks like that won't be an option, but we'll have to wait and see what direction James Bond goes in in Bond 26.

For now, you can catch up with James Bond when Bond 25 finally hits theaters on February 14, 2020. Or take a look at what is hitting theaters much earlier with our full movies premiere schedule.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.