As the search for the next James Bond continues, an Oscar-winning British actor weighs in on why a woman should not be cast. After playing 007 across five movies, Daniel Craig bid farewell to the role with No Time to Die in 2021.

Now, following Amazon gaining creative control over the franchise, director Denis Villeneuve is set to bring a new iteration of the character to life with the upcoming Bond 26. With screenwriter Steven Knight penning the script, all eyes are on who will be next to take on the iconic spy.

During a recent interview with Saga Magazine for her new film The Thursday Murder Club, Mirren and costar Pierce Brosnan touch on the future of Bond. Mirren argues that, despite identifying as a feminist, 007 should always be played by a man. Check out her comment below:

I’m such a feminist. But you can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.”

Brosnan, who played Bond in four movies in the ’90s and early ’00s, agrees, giving his best to whomever ends up taking on the mantle next:

“I wish them well. I’m so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character.

“I adore the world of James Bond. It’s been very good to me. It’s the gift that keeps giving. And I’m just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying: ‘Show us what you’re going to do.’”

What This Means For James Bond

This, of course, isn’t the first time Mirren has shared her thoughts on the Bond franchise. She recently criticized the films for their portrayal of women, telling The Standard: “the whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound Sєxism.” Brosnan subsequently agreed with this sentiment in an interview with People, but his view of the franchise is more nuanced:

“Yes, there’s a certain agreement there. But there’s a certain world and room to move within the proscenium arch of what [Bond creator and author] Ian Fleming put down. So there’s always going to be conflict.”

The debate over how women are portrayed in the 007 franchise is not new. The Craig Bond era actually made a concerted effort to address this, making female characters like Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) more integral to 007’s arc as a character across multiple entries.

It’s likely that Villeneuve’s Bond 26 will also adapt to the times when it comes to its female characters, but much remains unknown about this upcoming entry. So far, no official announcement has been made about casting, but it has been rumored that British actor Scott Rose-Marsh has screen-tested for the role.

There has been no indication so far that Bond 26 will gender swap 007. If rumors and reports are to be believed, the film will be aiming to cast a British male in his 30s, which would fit with the franchise’s history.

Our Take On Helen Mirren’s James Bond Comments

There’s certainly something to what Mirren is saying. Bond is a male character in the source material, and the entire character is built around him being something of a womanizer. It’s not clear how this would translate if he were gender-swapped.

There’s also an argument to be made that, instead of making Bond female, there should just be more female action heroes of that same caliber. That’s easier said than done, however, as Bond has decades of history and name recognition that a new character wouldn’t have.

It remains to be seen how the James Bond franchise will continue to evolve, but, gender-swapped or not, casting will always be a major point of contention for these movies.