Film

A Female James Bond Is Getting Closer And Closer To Becoming A Reality

Support has just come from London's new mayor, the editor of Esquire and ALL OF THE INTERNET.

by Meg Watson  20 May 2016

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Support for a female James Bond — often referred to as “Jane Bond” — has been brewing for a hell of a long time. Feminist critics have suggested that a genderflip could challenge the misogynistic tendencies of the character while also creating something new for young female fans of the franchise to connect to. After being tossed around for years, the idea has already done the outrage cycle; at one point a male writer from The Telegraph linked Labor leader Ed Miliband’s support of the idea with his alleged mission to “kill popular entertainment”. It went full Ghostbusters.

But over the past year or so, it feels like the idea has gained increasing mainstream support. Shortly before suggesting he’d be stepping down from the iconic role, Daniel Craig pledged his support for a female successor. Pop culture sites blew up with potential names including Rachel Weisz and Emilia Clark. And now, as the debate for Craig’s replacement rages in Britain, female contenders are being given considerable support alongside more-favoured male actors like Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston.

Just a couple of days ago, Esquire‘s editor-in-chief Alex Bilmes (who has long-celebrated the suave style of Bond masculinity and frequently scored exclusive interviews with the stars themselves) published a long opinion piece titled ‘Why The Next Bond Should Be A Woman’, in which he throws his support behind Emily Blunt. “We Brits have a funny thing about Bond, British men especially,” he writes. “He occupies a uniquely delicate position in the national psyche. He is a source of both pride and embarrassment. The question is do we Brits want James Bond to project an image that makes us look smart and modern, or crap and knackered? … We’ve found our man — and she’s a woman.”

Yesterday London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan also raised the idea in an interview with The Huffington Post suggesting either Rosamund Pike or Naomi Harris. And now, the internet is very gleefully having its own say:

See you in the comments section!