He's Bond. James Bond. And he'll stay that way.

Bond movie executive producer Barbara Broccoli told The Guardian that 007 is likely to stay male, echoing the same argument recently used by the current 007's wife:

"Bond is male," Broccoli told The Guardian. "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."

That's almost exactly what actress Rachel Weisz -- who is married to current Bond actor Daniel Craig -- told The Telegraph earlier this year:

"[Author 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."

Yes. It's not quite the same as "Doctor Who" casting a woman, since the Doctor is a regenerating Time Lord. Time Lords are extraterrestrial species. James Bond is a human dude. Casting a woman as a version of James Bond (or Jason Bourne, or John Wick, etc.) would just set up that actress for the usual attacks. Creating new potentially iconic roles for women would be preferred all around.

Broccoli did tell The Guardian that, while Bond is still Bond, the films have evolved a bit when it comes to portraying women:

"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."

"Bond 25," said to be Daniel Craig's final Bond movie, is being directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. But Broccoli's last three projects were all directed by women -- including the new film "Nancy" -- and she told The Guardian she'd "absolutely" be open to a woman directing a future Bond movie.

"Bond 25" has yet to start filming, or reveal it's full title, but it's scheduled to open February 14, 2020.

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