James Bond producer: Women are too 'interesting' to play 007
Producer Barbara Broccoli is one of the guardians of the James Bond franchise, and she's spoken when it comes to the super-spy: "He can be of any color, but he's male."
Broccoli, who's produced the Bond films for decades, along with her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, made the statement in a new interview with Variety.
"You think of him as being from Britain or the Commonwealth, but Britain is a very diverse place," Wilson said.
While this news is certainly good for the many who have been pushing for Idris Elba to one day don the tuxedo of Ian Fleming's legendary character, it won't satisfy those who wished for a female Bond.
On that, Broccoli explains, "I believe we should be creating new characters for women -- strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that."
With less than three months to go before the debut of "No Time to Die," the 25th James Bond adventure, Broccoli is trying to come to terms with a major change: this will be Daniel Craig's fifth and final turn as 007.
"I'm in total denial," she said. "I've accepted what Daniel has said, but I'm still in denial. It's too traumatic for me."
Still, the self-described "custodians" of the character's legacy call the final film of Craig's run, "an emotionally satisfying conclusion."
"No Time to Die," also starring Oscar winner Rami Malek, with Lea Seydoux and Lashana Lynch, hits theaters April 8.
