Many actors have played James Bond over the years, starting with Sean Connery in 1962’s Dr. No. George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have also had their share of vodka martinis.
With Craig confirming that Bond 25 will be his final film as 007, there has been a lot of speculation (and wishful thinking) about his successor. Some names that have popped up include Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, James Norton and Tom Hardy. One of the most popular picks has been Idris Elba, who has been harassed for years about taking over the role.
In a recent interview with Variety, Elba flipped the casting on its head by suggesting a woman should take over the role. “Are we interested in having a Bond character other than being a male? It could be a woman—could be a black woman, could be a white woman,” he said. “Do something different with it. Why not?”
Several women have been dominating the big screen in action films recently, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility. Gal Gadot owned it as Wonder Woman, and there’s also Charlize Theron, who was a complete badass in Atomic Blonde and Mad Max: Fury Road. The women of Black Panther are also expected to bring the whoop-ass in the upcoming Marvel film.
But is there room for a female 007 in the Bond universe? Craig’s wife, actress Rachel Weisz, doesn’t think so. She believes filmmakers should leave author Ian Fleming’s vision alone and give women other opportunities. She explained during an interview with The Telegraph:
“[Ian Fleming] devoted an awful lot of time to writing this particular character, who is particularly male and relates in a particular way to women. Why not create your own story rather than jumping on to the shoulders and being compared to all those other male predecessors? Women are really fascinating and interesting and should get their own stories.”
What do you think? Is a female James Bond a good idea?
