Sam Mendes Says A Woman Should Direct The Next Bond Movie: 'The Director Must Evolve'

As 007 fans focus on who will reprise the role of James Bond on screen, director Sam Mendes is more concerned about who is behind the camera.

The 'Empire of Light' director previously helmed Bond episodes 'Spectre' and 'Skyfall', and told Deadline it was time for a female filmmaker to take over the franchise. Producer Barbara Broccoli previously ended the concept of a female Bond and said that Bond would "remain as male" in the next iteration of the franchise.

"I don't envy Barbara for having to watch Daniel [Craig]'s five films," Mendes admitted. "He reinvigorated the franchise, but the franchise is so huge that it's very difficult for a young actor to step into."

He clarified, "Let me rephrase that: I think the actor playing Bond is going to evolve, the director has to evolve. I think it would be wonderful to see a woman directing Bond. I think it would be wonderful .”

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Cary Joji Fukunaga directed Craig's final appearance as Bond in 2021's 'No Time to Die', which also featured Lashana Lynch as female agent 007. Actor Craig, who portrayed Bond for 15 years from "Casino Royale" in 2006, has already weighed in on the gendered casting debate.

"There should just be better roles for women and actors of color," Craig said last year. "Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a role as good as James Bond, but for a woman?"

Producer Broccoli added, "He's a male character. He was written as a male, and I think he'll probably stay male. And that's fine. We don't have to turn characters into male characters into female characters. Let's just create more female characters and adapt the story to those female characters."

She later echoed the same: "I believe in creating characters for women and not just women playing men's roles. I don't think there's enough big roles for women, and it's very important to me that we make films for women about women. He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race]."

Fan favorite Idris Elba recently shut down any discussion of 007 casting, saying he was "not that guy" and the role was not a "goal" of his career.

The next reimagined Bond movie is set to take place in about two years, and it's understandable that the actor who plays the notorious MI6 agent would be a "big decision" for the management of the franchise, now owned by Amazon since the purchase of the MGM conglomerate.

"It's not just about casting a role. It's about completely rethinking where we're going," Broccoli said, sharing that Elba had been "part of the conversation" for years. years.

She added, "We're thinking about what we're going to do with [Bond], we're discussing it. There's no script, and we can't come up with one until we decide. how we're going to approach the next movie because, really, it's a reinvention of Bond. We're reinventing who he is, and that takes time."

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