The debate over whether there should be a “female James Bond” has been rumbling on for years, with many believing that James Bond and the 007 agent number he is synonymous with should always stay with the man the character was created as. There are other arguments that the franchise should be handed over to a woman and stop monopolizing it as a male-led story.
Someone who believes that there is enough room in the franchise for both scenarios is Geoffrey “Jaffa” Moore, the son of former James Bond star Roger Moore. Discussing the subject in depth with Express, Moore explained how there could be space for a female-led movie, but only if she does not replace James Bond or his 007 title.
“Well, then it’s no longer James Bond. I mean, she could be 006, 008 or 009. In the last Bond, I think [Lashana Lynch being 007 temporarily] was the confusion. That she was 007 and then said, “I’ve got to give it back to Bond. It’s his number.” So, I think that’s very good. I think they were also testing the waters. Maybe there will be a “From the filmmakers of James Bond comes Jane or Jemima Bond” or whatever. It wouldn’t be the same because it’s Bond. It’s Fleming’s Bond. It’s a guy, unfortunately. In today’s world, a woman would be great. If you look at Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde…I mean, woman can certainly pull it off and certainly do the fight sequences. And even if not, as a species, ladies are probably smarter! But in terms of the role itself, Fleming’s Bond is James Bond. [Do women deserve their own, equally successful franchise?] It’s right, and they should. But if you want to do a female Bond, you can’t just call her “James Bond.” Personally, I don’t think that [would work].”
Related: Every Roger Moore James Bond Movie, Ranked
Gender-Swapping Bond Means it is No Longer a James Bond Movie.
In the last decade, there has been a constant social media argument about why movies and TV shows should not be getting genderswapped remakes. Many franchises have attempted to reinterpret older stories with male leads as female-orientated stories, but very few have been as successful as their predecessors.
The common thread running through this type of failure is something that Moore explains in the simplest of terms; if you make the male lead female, it is not longer the same movie. Spin-offs with completely new characters are a different matter, and in many cases have been much better received. Enola Holmes is a prime example, with the book series and Netflix movies putting Sherlock Holmes’ sister as the lead, while the most famous detective in the world plays second fiddle.
An upcoming example would also be the John Wick franchise, which after delivering four movies with a strong male-led story, it is not turning Wick into a female but is giving the franchise a female-led spin-off with Ana de Armas stepping up to play the lead in Ballerina. In turn, the movie will see Keanu Reeves’ assassin having a cameo in that movie.
One thing that has been made clear by long-term Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is that James Bond will never be genderswapped. However, when spin-offs are king, who is to say that we could not see a female agent entering Ian Fleming’s world in her own right.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
