With No Time to Die being billed as Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond, attention will inevitably turn to who takes on the mantle next. Craig has played the role since 2006 and starred in two of the best films in the series (Casino Royale and Skyfall), but with No Time to Die serving as his exit, there will be lots of talk about which actor would best be suited for the role. However, producer Barbara Broccoli makes clear in a new interview with Variety that it will be an actor, not an actress:

“He can be of any color, but he is male,” says Broccoli. “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

To Broccoli's credit she's backed up her beliefs. She tried making a Bond spinoff about the Die Another Day character Jinx (Halle Berry), but MGM balked at the $80 million price tag the film carried. That being said, it's surprising Broccoli hasn't taken another swing at "creating new characters for women." It's been 18 years since Die Another Day; audiences may go for a female-led action film from the world of James Bond, especially since studios rely heavily on franchises.

However, it is interesting to hear Broccoli confirm that Bond can be any color, and I wonder if that will bear out in future installments as the series fights to remain relevant in the 21st century. I will say that the important thing to remember in Bond fantasy-casting is that no one knows anything. As the Variety article details, Craig was deemed an unconventional choice for the role when he was cast due to how different he looked from past Bonds, but it worked. Craig made the role his own and I expect the next actor to land the role will likely do the same.