Bond 26 is still in the early stages of production, but there’s been plenty of online speculation about what Amazon’s upcoming Bond franchise may look like in the near future. Despite Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren recently saying that James Bond should be played exclusively by male actors, it seems like the cultural consensus about a female 007 is ready to shift in a new direction.

Every actor to play James Bond in the past has been male, and the franchise has always imbued very specific criteria into their performances; from Connery to Craig, they’ve always been charming, smooth-talking men who embody the spirit of Ian Fleming’s literary spy. However, as Amazon pushes Bond forward into a new era, this archetype no longer seems necessary.

Amazon’s James Bond Takeover Paves The Way For A Female 007

Despite the previous Bond actor’s claims that Amazon should follow in Eon’s footsteps and exclusively cast male actors as 007, now seems like the perfect time for the studio to finally experiment with a female protagonist. This has never really been possible before because there was only one James Bond at a time – but Amazon’s acquisition (and potential franchising) of Bond means this isn’t necessarily the case anymore.

Amazon’s reach means that James Bond probably won’t be confined to a single movie franchise anymore. Thanks to Amazon Prime Video, there are now countless opportunities for James Bond spinoffs and limited series that explore different corners of Ian Fleming’s beloved spy series. This means the streamer can introduce a female 007 without it having to be the main focus of the franchise.

Even if it’s just a side project, it’s about time that James Bond broke the typical formula and dared to think outside the box in this way. The franchise needs to push itself into a new era in order to survive in the streaming age, and this seems like the most natural progression.

Casting a woman in the lead role has never really been possible because of the backlash that would have inevitably arisen, but as long as audiences can still have their reliable, male James Bond on the big screen, there’s no reason Amazon can’t also experiment with female protagonists on the small screen. It’s a much less risky way of introducing this concept to long-time traditional Bond fans.

There would still be some criticism of a female James Bond, but that is no reason to keep the franchise rooted in the past. Other action franchises are also beginning to introduce this concept, with projects like Ballerina proving just how successful these female-led action projects can be. Even multi-billion-dollar franchises like the MCU are placing female stars at their center – James Bond can surely follow.

And it’s not just a female 007 that’s been made possible by Amazon’s acquisition of James Bond: the franchise can now explore countless different possibilities without too much risk, thanks to James Bond TV shows. We could finally have prequels that follow Bond’s early days in MI6, or spinoff projects that center around supporting characters like M or Felix Leitner.

Casting a woman as the lead in Bond 26 would be global news, and because the movies can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make, the potential box office risk was enough that the previous regime never would’ve pursued it. But an eight-episode miniseries is a small enough investment that Amazon would easily be able to recover if it was a failure.

It’s Very Unlikely That Amazon Will Cast A Female James Bond

Unfortunately, it’s still very unlikely that Amazon would decide to roll the dice on a female 007 at the very beginning of their new franchise. The studio has to prove that it has the goods to push James Bond into the future and keep the series alive for a new generation of fans, and such a controversial decision wouldn’t be the best way of doing that.

Amazon’s reported shortlist for James Bond options has already proven that they’re looking to walk a more traditional road in their new franchise, with every single one of their ideal candidates being a young male. This isn’t exactly the push for diversity that many Bond fans have been looking for, but it’s certainly the most reliable and risk-averse way of continuing the series.

Of course, it’s possible that Amazon is merely holding onto these ideas for the future, getting the fans back on board with a traditional Bond 26, before introducing some of these more experimental concepts in a few years’ time. This would be a fitting compromise, even if it means fans won’t be getting that female 007 for a short while.

Ultimately, the James Bond franchise is still in the very early days of development. Nobody has been cast in Bond 26 yet, and the script is reportedly still being written. The executives at Amazon will certainly have some ideas for the future of the series, including how to take advantage of the streaming model, but it will be years before this comes to fruition.