Helen Mirren made a case for why she doesn’t think a woman should play James Bond.
“I’m such a feminist. But you can’t have a woman,” the actress, 80, said in a joint interview with her The Thursday Murder Club costar Pierce Brosnan for Saga Magazine published on Monday, August 18. “It just doesn’t work.
Mirren continued: “James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.”
Brosnan, who played the iconic spy character from 1995 to 2002, shared that he was looking forward to seeing what the next actor taking on the role brings to the beloved franchise.
“I wish them well. 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,” the actor, 72, told the outlet. “I adore the world of James Bond. It’s been very good to me. It’s the gift that keeps giving.”
Brosnan added that he now gets to sit back as “a member of the audience.””
Speculation as to who would become the next James Bond has been ongoing since Daniel Craig confirmed his last movie with the franchise was 2021’s No Time to Die. In 2022, the search began as Amazon MGM Studios — which obtained the rights to the character after merging with MGM — started the search for the next Bond actor for the production of its future films.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who worked as producers on multiple 007 films, were initially part of the search. After Amazon MGM’s announcement, rumors swirled of potential TV spin-offs for Miss Moneypenny or a female Bond streaming series. Despite the rumors, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. However, like Mirren, Broccoli — whose father owned the rights to the Bond character — argued that a woman could not play James Bond.
“James Bond is a male character. I hope that there will be many, many films made with women, for women, by women, about women,” she said to the U.K.’s Press Agency in 2021. “I don’t think we have to take a male character and have a woman portray him. So yes, I see him as male. And I’m sort of in denial, I would love for Daniel to continue forever.”
Earlier this year, Broccoli and Wilson announced that they were stepping away from the project.
“I have had the honor of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry,” Broccoli said in a February statement. “With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.”
Wilson added that it was “time for our trusted partner, Amazon MGM Studios, to lead James Bond into the future.”
Following Broccoli and Wilson’s exit, Amazon MGM announced it had complete “creative control” of Bond.
“Since his theatrical introduction over 60 years ago, James Bond has been one of the most iconic characters in filmed entertainment,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said. “We are grateful to the late Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for bringing James Bond to movie theatres around the world, and to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication and their role in continuing the legacy of the franchise that is cherished by legions of fans worldwide. We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage, and look forward to ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world.”
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