Pierce Brosnan is all in on a female James Bond: “Get out of the way, guys”

This April, the James Bond movie No Time to Die will land in theaters. It will (probably) mark the last time Daniel Craig suits up as legendary British super-spy, a role he first took on back in 2006’s Casino Royale.

But even though Craig is out, don’t expect Sony to stop making Bond movies — these things have been coming out on the regular since the ’60s. So who will be replacing Craig? It’s unclear yet, but there have been reports that actor Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) will step into the role of 007 in No Time to Die. According to these rumors, she won’t literally be playing James Bond, but rather an MI6 agent who inherits his number. Still, it’s possible the movie series continue with her as the new star.

Or they’ll just cast another guy and reboot the series again; lord knows plenty of actors of played James Bond in the past. One of them, Pierce Brosnan, who played the character starting with 1995’s Goldeneye through 2002’s Die Another Day, is all for the idea of a woman playing Bond, according to an interview he gave to The Hollywood Reporter at the Deauville Film Festival.  “Yes!” he said. “I think we’ve watched the guys do it for the last 40 years, get out of the way, guys, and put a woman up there. I think it would be exhilarating, it would be exciting,” he said.

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA – APRIL 25: Cast member Lashana Lynch attends the “Bond 25” film launch at Ian Fleming’s home “GoldenEye” on April 25, 2019 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)

Still, much as he likes the idea, Brosnan doesn’t see this happening, not so long as Barbara Broccoli — the daughter of Albert R. Broccoli, the man who made the James Bond franchise into what it is — is running the show, which she is.

Even if the female Bond idea never comes to fruition, Brosnan thinks that the Bond franchise, which has often celebrated the character’s womanizing ways, will have to change in an era where people are becoming increasingly mindful of workplace sexual harassment. “The #MeToo movement has been relevant and significant and well needed in our society, so they’ll have to address that,” he said.

Broccoli herself has said that the James Bond character is probably going to remain a man, but she’s open to getting a female director, adding more female characters, and generally updating the story so it works in a modern milieu.

So if Lynch doesn’t take over for Bond, who might play him next? One of the names consistently tossed around is Richard Madden, who played Robb Stark on Game of Thrones. We probably won’t know anything for a while, but whoever gets the role will likely carry it for the rest of their career, as Brosnan has. “James Bond has a certain significance and a deep pride,” he said. “I will be asked about him until my dying days – it just goes with the territory. He’s a beloved character. I was honored to play the role and I rejuvenated a franchise that had been dormant.”

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h/t SyFy Wire, The Guardian