Barbara Broccoli, producer of the iconic “James Bond” franchise, said the next actor to take over the reins will be in his 30s, and doesn’t have to be white.
Speculation has been rife over who will be the next martini-sipping secret agent ever since Daniel Craig bowed out of the franchise following his final film installment in “No Time To Die,” released in 2021.
“It’s a big decision,” Broccoli told AP this week, adding that one thing’s for sure — the actor will be “a man.”
“He’ll likely be in his 30s,” she said. “Whiteness is not a given.”
Whoever it will be, the actor will have to star in at least a decade’s worth of film during their time as 007.
Elsewhere, Broccoli said she’s bracing herself for the inevitable backlash the casting decision will receive — something she mentions happened after Craig was announced as Bond.
“Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction,” she said. “Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”
While there’s been no official word, the rumored current front-runner is British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the “Bullet Train” actor, 34, was offered the role as the “shaken, not stirred” martini-sipping secret agent, source told The Sun in March.
Should he accept the deal, the “Tenet” actor will take over the reins from Craig, who starred as Bond in a total of five films spanning over 15 years.
Craig, 56, was in his 30s when he signed on for the role.
After playing Bond in the 2006 film “Casino Royale,” he went on to star in “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall” and “Spectre,” before his final hurrah in 2021’s “No Time To Die.”
Taylor-Johnson, for his part, reportedly underwent a screen test for the Bond franchise in 2022.
“I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role. I take it as a great compliment,” he told reporters earlier this year.
Former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan gave Taylor-Johnson his stamp of approval in March, saying he “would definitely tip my hat to the fellow.”
“I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so,” said Brosnan, who helmed the iconic 007 role from 1995 until 2002.
Brosnan worked with Taylor-Johnson on the 2009 movie “The Greatest,” on which he also served as a producer.