The role of James Bond has always been subject to controversy for its casting choices. The movie franchise has mainly met with criticism for its commitment to casting a white man in its titular role. But with Daniel Craig stepping down from his portrayal of the famous character after the upcoming Bond movie, No Time To Die, speculation is rife as to who will be next to pick up the mantle.

When Craig spoke with Radio Times recently, though, he made it known that in his opinion, the iconic character shouldn't ever be played by a woman. When asked his opinion on the possibility of a female Bond, Craig replied, "The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?"

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And despite the seemingly controversial nature of his comments, much of the Twitter-verse seems to agree with Craig. One fan of the movie franchise tweeted, "That makes two of us. Instead of converting the roles they should just come up with new concepts, new heroes, new female leads!"

Another concurred, writing, "It's a sign of just how bizarre our times have gotten that this even needs saying. Bond is an incredibly iconic character who is known across the world; you could no more cast a female James Bond than a male Lara Croft." And another tweeted, "As a woman, I totally agree. I'm actually annoyed, to the point of offended, that instead of seeing more complex, fascinating original female characters, we'd just get another female version of a well-established male character. It's lazy and pathetic."

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In the upcoming Bond movie, which marks the end of Craig's association with the character, Lashana Lynch will be featured as a new recruit to MI6's 007 spy program. But Lynch is slated to appear alongside Craig, rather than in his place. One Twitter user approved of this distinction, writing, "James Bond can't be a woman. He's James Bond. There's nothing stopping a woman being the new 007 however. Though I imagine it would be part of the plot rather than a new direction for the franchise."

It's also worth noting that No Time To Die has been penned, in part, by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. So Bond, as a character, remaining inflexibly male and white doesn't necessarily mean the movie series can't still champion women and POC in front of and behind the camera.

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