With the next James Bond still unclear, Helen Mirren has no problem admitting a woman isn’t meant for the iconic role.
“I’m such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work,” she said in an interview with Saga Magazine.
“James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else,” added the MobLand actress.
Ever since 1962, with Sean Connery, the role of James Bond has always been played by an actor, with Daniel Craig being one of the most recent to leave the franchise in 2021. Actress Lashana Lynch was mentioned as taking on the 007 title in No Time to Die, but was never officially tagged as the next Bond.
Mirren’s The Thursday Murder Club co-star, Pierce Bronson, also commented on who will be next to take up the spy mantle and continue the franchise.
“I wish them well,” the actor said, who played Bond from 1995 until 2002. “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,” he added. “And I’m just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying: ‘Show us what you’re going to do.'”
Everyone is on the edge of their seats on who will be the next Bond, with Amazon MGM having taken over production of the Denis Villeneuve-directed movie. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is also on board to pen the script for Bond 26.
For now, there are a few actors in talks for the role from fan favorites like Henry Cavill, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner, Harris Dickonson, and more.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott Rose-March has also recently tested for the role.
