Overview

• Dame Helen Mirren told Saga Magazine that James Bond “has to be a guy” while promoting The Thursday Murder Club alongside Pierce Brosnan.
• Pierce Brosnan echoed her view in the same interview, reversing his 2019 remark that a female Bond would be “exciting” and “exhilarating.”
• Amazon MGM confirmed in June that Denis Villeneuve will direct the next 007 installment, with Steven Knight writing the script and Amy Pascal and David Heyman producing.
• No official casting announcements have been made, and industry sources say speculation includes names such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba, Tom Holland and Jacob Elordi.
• The debate over Bond’s gender and British identity underscores wider tensions between preserving the franchise’s legacy and Amazon’s modernization plans.