James Bond producer says there will probably never be a female 007: 'Bond is male'

• James Bond will continue to be played by a man, according to the franchise's producer Barbara Broccoli.
• "He's a male character," she told The Guardian. "He was written as a male and I think he'll probably stay as a male."

The overseer of the James Bond franchise has spoken: "Bond is male."

That was how producer Barbara Broccoli put it when asked if there would ever be a female James Bond.

"He's a male character," she went on to tell The Guardian in a recent interview. "He was written as a male and I think he'll probably stay as a male. And that's fine. We don't have to turn male characters into women. Let's just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters."

With the recent gender-bending trend bringing new life to existing IPs ("Ocean's Eight," "Dr. Who"), the internet has been pushing a female Bond for years. Even actresses like Priyanka Chopra and Gillian Anderson have voiced their interest in obtaining the coveted license to kill.

But Broccoli, one of the most powerful producers working in the industry today, states that despite keeping Bond a man, that doesn't mean the character has to continue to have the same old-school qualities the character had in the early days of the franchise decades ago.

"I think Bond has come through and transformed with the times," she said. "I've tried to do my part, and I think particularly with the Daniel [Craig] films, they've become much more current in terms of the way women are viewed."

Craig will return to the role for the final time in the 25th Bond movie, which will begin production in March. But looking forward, can Broccoli see a female directing one of these movies?

"Yes, absolutely," Broccoli told The Guardian. "As a female producer, of course I'd like to do that."