James Bond producer rules out a female 007

Speculation mounts about who could replace Daniel Craig as the legendary character

REUTERS: The next James Bond will not be a woman, the film’s producer said in an interview, as speculation mounts about who could replace Daniel Craig as the legendary 007.

Craig, 51, is due to step down after the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, which will be released in April.

Rumours were abound over who could replace him and whether the next Bond will be female but Barbara Broccoli told Variety it would definitely be a man. “He can be of any color, but he is male,” said Broccoli, a producer of the film alongside Michael G. Wilson.

PHOTO: FILE

The Bond franchise is one of the film world’s most lucrative, with 2015’s Spectre raking in $880 million at the box office worldwide, while Skyfall in 2012 grossed more than $1 billion globally.

Hans Zimmer set to compose for upcoming James Bond film 

Broccoli said she believed in creating strong female characters, but added, “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.”

PHOTO: FILE

Meanwhile, American teen pop sensation Billie Eilish said on Tuesday she was honored to have been chosen to write and record the theme song from the upcoming No Time to Die.

Eilish, 18, who wrote the song with her brother Finneas O’Connell, will be the youngest artist in history to take on the task, following in the footsteps of musicians like Adele, Madonna, and Paul McCartney.

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