James Bond executive producer Barbara Broccoli made a declarative statement that James Bond won’t be gender-swapped any time soon.
Broccoli, who is the daughter of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, signs off on every key Bond decision. She spoke with The Guardian stating, “Bond is male. He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as male.”
She continues, “And that’s fine. We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters.”
Broccoli acknowledges Bond is not a feminist property and she points to the early movies and novels. “It was written in the 50s, so there’s certain things in [Bond’s] DNA that are probably not gonna change.”
However, she does state Bond can change and adapt and she believes the franchise has.
“But look at the way the world has changed. And I think Bond has come through and transformed with the times. I’ve tried to do my part, and I think particularly with the Daniel [Craig] films, they’ve become much more current in terms of the way women are viewed.”
She also states she would be interested in a female director or screenwriter on the next James Bond film. Broccoli says, “Yes, absolutely. As a female producer, of course I’d like to do that.”
That’s great news for Blake Northcott, who specifically pitched herself to become the next James Bond writer whether that be for the next film or for upcoming comics.
Broccoli’s newest statement echoes Rachel Weisz’s thoughts on the matter. Weisz is current James Bond actor Daniel Craig’s wife. She spoke with The Telegraph back in February:
“[Fleming] devoted an awful lot of time to writing this particular character, who is particularly male and relates in a particular way to women. Why not create your own story rather than jumping on to the shoulders and being compared to all those other male predecessors? Women are really fascinating and interesting and should get their own stories.”
Her latest statement also clarifies Broccoli’s comments she made back in January when she indicated she was open to gender-swapping James Bond.
“These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit. Anything is possible.”
She added:
“Right now it’s Daniel Craig, and I’m very happy with Daniel Craig, but who knows what the future will bring?”
What do you make of Broccoli’s new comments? Are you happy that James Bond won’t be gender-swapped in the foreseeable future?