James Bond could be non-binary, says producer Barbara Broccoli: ‘We just have to find the right actor’
Daniel Craig, the outgoing James Bond. (Getty)
James Bond could be non-binary in the future, with producer Barbara Broccoli saying she’s “open” to the idea.
Speaking to Anna Smith on the podcast Girls on Film, Broccoli ruled out Bond being played by a woman, saying that new roles should be created for women instead of a gender-flipped spy.
When asked if Bond could be non-binary, however, she suggested it could happen.
“Who knows,” said Broccoli, who owns the rights to James Bond and has produced nine films in the franchise since 1995. “I think it’s open, you know? We just have to find the right actor.”
Michael G. Wilson, Daniel Craig, and Barbara Broccoli attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for Daniel Craig (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Broccoli was also receptive to the idea of James Bond being played by an actor of colour.
“Absolutely. We want the actor to be British – the only time we haven’t done that was with George Lazenby, who was Australian, but I think British is the key thing. British, as we know, can be many, many things.”
Since Daniel Craig made his final appearance as 007 in No Time To Die, speculation has been rife over the future of the character, with Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Lashana Lynch all the subject of Bond rumours.
Idris Elba has been rumoured as the next James Bond (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The introduction of a non-binary Bond would be welcome in terms of industry diversity, as it GLAAD recently found that there hasn’t been a single trans or non-binary character in any film by the top eight Hollywood studios for four years (the study didn’t include MGM, which makes the Bond films).
While there has been a slight uptick in the amount of LGBT+ characters on screen – with No Time To Die making reference to Q being queer – GLAAD confirmed that, “once again, there were zero transgender or non-binary characters counted in the major studio films released”.
GLAAD said in a statement: “While recent years did include transgender and/or non-binary actors in a handful of major releases, none of those films established those characters as transgender or non-binary within the film’s world.
“We are pleased to see trans actors being cast in roles that are not explicitly written as transgender and hope to see this continue. We also hope to see more films which explicitly tell the stories of transgender characters, representation that is crucial to understanding discrimination and liberating trans people.
“We’d like to see film catch up to TV in leading change and accelerating acceptance by sharing and uplifting the experiences of trans people.”
As for who could play a non-binary James Bond? We recommend British non-binary actors including: Emma Corrin, Olly Alexander, Tylan Grant, or Richard O’Brien.
