Yahoo Movies James Bond director Martin Campbell doesn't think Black or female 007 will happen
There has been a lot of speculation about who will take over the iconic role
James Bond director Martin Campbell has said he doesn’t think the next 007 will be Black or female.
With Daniel Craig having vacated the role of the suave spy after five films, there has been much talk about who the next Bond will be.
Fans have got plenty of ideas, with Luther star Idris Elba, Venom’s Tom Hardy, The Women King’s Lashana Lynch and Sex Education’s Gillian Anderson all coming up.
Read more: Every James Bond film ranked
However, Campbell - who was at the helm of 1995’s GoldenEye and 2006’s Casino Royale – has said he thinks Bond bosses will stick to writer Ian Fleming’s vision of the character.
Asked if the agent could be Black or a woman, he told Express.co.uk: “Honestly, it’s not going to happen. None of (those suggestions will) because that’s the way the books are set up, that’s the way Fleming wrote them.
“And of course, there’s all this everyone screaming diversity, ‘Time to have a Black Bond’, ‘What about a female Bond?’ The answer would be no. I don’t think it’ll happen for a second.”
Campbell said while a Black actor or female could certainly slip into the tux, his feeling was “that they will want to keep the brand as is”.
Craig bowed out of the long-running franchise in 2021 after No Time To Die.
Addressing his departure, he said on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon that he had “given it everything I can”.
The star also had some advice for whoever takes over the iconic role: “Don’t f*** it up.”
Read more: John Boyega says it would be 'surprising' if the next James Bond is Black
“It is a beautiful, amazing thing,” he added.
Watch: Lea Seydoux says James Bond movie would have been ruined by a leak
