Halle Berry weighs in on female James Bond, says, "I don’t know if that’s the right thing"

Halle Berry weighs in on female James Bond, says, "I don’t know if that’s the right thing"

As speculation continues over who will step into the iconic shoes of James Bond after Daniel Craig’s departure, one of the franchise’s most memorable Bond girls, Halle Berry, has weighed in on the ongoing debate: Should 007 be a woman? Halle Berry, who played NSA agent Jinx in Die Another Day (2002) opposite Pierce Brosnan, addressed the topic during a press call at Cannes 2025. When asked whether she believes the next James Bond should be female, the Oscar-winning actress admitted she had reservations.

“I don’t know if 007 should be a woman,” Berry said. “In 2025, it’s nice to say, ‘Oh, she should be a woman.’ But I don’t really know if I think that’s the right thing to do.”

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While many are calling for a more progressive and diverse iteration of Bond, others argue that the character should remain true to Ian Fleming’s original vision.

Halle Berry also addressed the lingering interest in her own character, Jinx, and whether a spinoff might ever materialize. “I doubt there will be a Jinx spinoff. There was a time that that could have happened. Probably should have happened. I would have loved for that to happen,” she added. “But I think that time has passed.”

Interestingly, the franchise has already flirted with the idea of a female 007. In No Time To Die (2021), British actress Lashana Lynch portrayed Nomi, a fellow MI6 agent who took on the 007 codename after Bond’s retirement. Speaking with The Guardian, Lynch described the intense training involved: “They hand you a bunch of weapons and they teach you a routine for a few seconds or a minute... and that was the first out of five routines they taught me.”

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While Lynch’s role was not a gender-swapped Bond, it was a notable step toward diversifying the world of the franchise.

As of now, the identity of the next James Bond remains under wraps. With names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill in the running, the casting decision will undoubtedly shape the future of one of cinema’s most enduring characters — whether it’s a man or a woman behind the tuxedo.