Daniel Craig Doesn’t Want His James Bond Successor to be a Woman

Daniel Craig's final time portraying James Bond comes to theatres next month in No Time to Die, and he's been thinking about who will take on the role of Agent 007 next.

While there has been plenty of speculation and fan casting, nothing is set in stone. But when asked if a woman should play the next Bond, Craig said that would be a disservice to female actors.

“There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color,” Craig tells the RadioTimes when asked about a female Bond. “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

Longtime James Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli said it first last year, “James Bond can be of any color, but he is male,” adding, “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.”

No Time to Die features a female 00 agent, played by Lashana Lynch alongside Craig.

Craig praised scriptwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), who came aboard to lend a hand for the film, with Craig revealing she was the perfect fit. “She’s got devilish humor. Her influence permeates a lot of this film," Craig said of Waller-Bridge. "She walked that fantastic line of keeping it as a thriller and being very funny. But Phoebe didn’t come in to change Bond. She came in to spice it up for sure, but she’s a Bond fan – she wasn’t about to take him in a different direction.”

After multiple delays, No Time to Die will finally arrive in theaters on October 8. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time to Die will see several returning characters plus newcomers Lynch and a villain played by Rami Malek.

Watch the trailer for No Time to Die below: