James Bond star says fans would find female Bond "too outrageous"

A workaround of sorts was found for 2021's No Time to Die, where Lashana Lynch played a character with the designation 007 (inherited after Bond's retirement), but was not playing a female variation of Bond himself.

This aligns with Broccoli's view that she would rather be "creating new characters for women" than "taking a male character and having a woman play it".

Nevertheless, the idea is still brought up as a provocative hypothetical, with Quantum of Solace alum Gemma Arterton being the latest star to have to comment on it during an interview with The Times.

She said: "They talk about it, but I think people would find it too outrageous. Sometimes you just have to respect the tradition."

The actor, known for Funny Woman, Culprits and The King's Man, went on to express her confusion over why she is so often asked about Bond, given her appearance in the 2008 blockbuster was so brief.

She added: "I don’t regret doing a Bond film, but I am perplexed why it has followed me around. I was only in the film for five minutes."

The actor has previously expressed discomfort with the way that women have typically been depicted in James Bond films, including her own character, Strawberry Fields, who is quickly seduced by the MI6 agent in Quantum of Solace.

However, she explains that the gig was something of a stepping stone for her, before her career was fully established.

She told The Sun in 2020: "At the beginning of my career, I was poor as a church mouse and I was happy just to be able to work and earn a living.

"I still get criticism for accepting Quantum of Solace, but I was 21, I had a student loan, and you, know, it was a Bond film.

"But as I got older I realised there was so much wrong with Bond women. Strawberry should have just said no, really, and worn flat shoes."

The Bond franchise is currently in a state of flux following the dramatic departure of Daniel Craig at the end of No Time to Die, leaving a position on His Majesty's Secret Service vacant.

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