Bond producer Barbara Broccoli on chances of a female James Bond

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has ruled out the chance of James Bond being played by a woman, saying such a decision would be a ‘gimmick’.

Speaking at the Bond 25 launch event in Jamaica, the producer said Daniel Craig would not be replaced by a female actress when he steps down from the iconic role. She told Good Morning Britain: “I always feel that Bond is a male character, that is just a fact.

“We have to make movies about women and women’s stories but we have to create female characters and not just for a gimmick turn a male character into a woman.”

Despite this decision, the upcoming Bond film, which has yet to be named, has drafted Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Killing Eve and Fleabag fame, to help spruce up the script. Waller-Bridge will serve as co-writer. Broccoli said of the decision: “She has made a great contribution to it.

“It was Daniel’s idea, we all leapt to it, we loved her.”

Read More: Is James Bond 25 already in trouble?

It has also been announced Oscar winning Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek will play a villain in the upcoming movie. He told the ITV show: “Ultimately villains are so great in Ian Fleming’s novels.

“You go back to that instinctually, go back to those books and decipher what makes them worthy adversaries for Bond. I am still working on that to be quite honest, but I have no doubt I am going to give him a run for his money.”

Read More: Bond 25 remains untitled, Rami Malek confirmed as villain

The next Bond film will mark the 25th movie in the iconic franchise, and it has now been confirmed it will be Craig’s last. The actor, who will be playing the double agent for the fifth time, will be joined by returning cast members Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Ben Whishaw as Q, and Léa Seydoux as Dr Madeleine Swann.