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Daniel Craig—who stars in the upcoming delayed release of his fifth and final 007 installment, No Time To Die—received mixed reactions from fans about his statement regarding who should not take over as the next James Bond.
In addition to fans suggesting Idris Elba or Tom Hardy portray the next 007, some camps on the internet called for women or people of color as more ideal candidates.
Regarding all the online debate about who should portray the character, Craig told Radio Times in an interview:
"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?"
Daniel Craig says \u201cwhy should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour.\u201d\n\n(Source: https://bit.ly/3Au2X1L\u00a0)pic.twitter.com/bcwW238MOs— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1632247784
It should be noted, however, that Black actress Lashana Lynch will be the first-ever female to achieve the "00" status.
Despite the confusing title, Lynch will not portray James Bond. Her secret agent character, Nomi, will take over his secret agent number when Bond leaves the MI6.
Lynch told Harper's Bazaar UK last year she was apprehensive about getting lost "behind the man" when initially hired to join an established franchise centering around an iconic male character.
She explained:
"I didn't want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real-life represented."
"In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I'm presenting needs to be 100 percent authentic."
Many fans weighed in with their conflicting opinions about keeping James Bond a male character.
Isn't 007 just a title like the alias James Bond? Literally anyone can become James Bond even canonically. It's not like women never take names that are perceived as masculine. Craig isn't wrong but a POC or female Bond would be awesome.— Sean Cutt (@Sean Cutt) 1632260273
Women can be named James.— Letha Ann (@Letha Ann) 1632293215
A female 007 movie would be awesome. Honestly, just retire Bond for a while and make a new female character to play 007.— al (@al) 1632248038
But a woman can be a 007 agent and that's the point, there is no "James Bond" movie, all of them had their own name with the 007 attached to them. 007 can be anyone.— Mauricio Robayo | \u2283\u222a\u2229\u2abd (@Mauricio Robayo | \u2283\u222a\u2229\u2abd) 1632233331
Despite some opposition, moviegoers saw Craig's point as being very valid.
Exactly. Instead of replacing James bond as a woman. Maybe make the effort to write a whole new different female character that is well written and on par with bond.— Shakir\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8 (@Shakir\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf8) 1632247864
And he's absolutely right. Instead of turning make characters into female characters for "diversity", just write strong female characters.— Goose (@Goose) 1632247845
Finally an actor in Hollywood who gets it. Stop unnecessarily race/gender swapping parts and start writing better ones for them!— \ud83d\udc49 Grumpy Scotsman \ud83d\udc48 (@\ud83d\udc49 Grumpy Scotsman \ud83d\udc48) 1632250077
he\u2019s right, this is an argument black people have made for years, don\u2019t just hand us roles that will shut us up give us roles that are brand new characters.— Treeks (@Treeks) 1632261524
He's right. More representation is good so create original characters and not just give female characters hand-me-down versions of male parts. James is a man's name after all.— Scotty Cameron \ud83c\udf39\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Scotty Cameron \ud83c\udf39\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1632273298
Craig's suggestion that better roles should be created for women followed his previous statement in 2019 in which he defended No Time To Die female cowriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was accused of being brought on to give the franchise a more inclusive tone.
The Fleabag actress and writer reportedly said her intention was to ensure women were treated properly in a script with a fresh female perspective in the post #MeToo era.
In response to fan backlash, Craig told The Sunday Times, almost two years ago:
"Look, we're having a conversation about Phoebe's gender here, which is f'king ridiculous."
"She's a great writer. Why shouldn't we get Phoebe onto Bond?"
He added:
"I know where you're going, but I don't actually want to have that conversation."
"I know what you're trying to do, but it's wrong. It's absolutely wrong. She's a f*****g great writer. One of the best English writers around. I said, 'Can we get her on the film?' That's where I came from."
Fans will get to witness how Nomi will take up the mantle of 007 when No Time To Die is released in theaters on October 8.