Gemma Arterton, James Bond girl in Quantum of Solace with Daniel Craig, thinks 007 should remain a man.
In 2021, Daniel Craig laid down his James Bond weapons. After Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Heavy rain (2012) et Spectre (2015), Dying can wait marked the end of this 007. The actor will have it that way incarnated five timeswhich is less than Sean Connery and Roger Moore (seven films each), but more than Pierce Brosnan (four films), Timothy Dalton (two films) and George Lazenby (only one).
With $774 million at the box office, Dying can wait remained below Spectre (880 million) and did not reach the record of Heavy rain (1.1 billion)surely partly because of the pandemic which complicated its release. But no matter, the James Bond brand remains powerful, and the secret agent imagined by Ian Fleming will obviously come back.
While producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson prepare James Bond 26everyone is excited about the candidates who can take over the role. And facing the possibility of a female version of James BondGemma Arterton, James Bond girl de Quantum of Solaceanswers: absolutely not.
JAMES BOND MUST REMAIN A MAN
She breezed past Quantum of Solace directed by Marc Forster, who otherwise remained as one of the worst James Bonds of the Daniel Craig era – partly because of the writers' strike which made filming hellish. But Gemma Arterton left her mark, particularly with the scene of his death in homage to Goldfinger.
Enough to allow this James Bond girl #2, behind James Bond girl #1 played by Olga Kurylenko, to be a little more memorable than Caterina Murino in Casino Royale or Bérénice Marlohe in Heavy rain.
Gemma Arterton has since been seen in Byzantium, Hansel et Gretel : Witch Hunters, Gemma Bovery, The Voices et The Last Girlbut all roads lead back to James Bond. In interview with The Times in December 2024, the actress was obviously questioned about the future of the saga, and the option of a woman to play 007 :
“Isn’t a female James Bond like Mary Poppins played by a man? They talk about it, but I think people would find it scandalous. Sometimes you just have to respect tradition. »
Producer Barbara Broccoli has the same opinion, as she explained to The Guardian in 2018:
“Bond is a man. He's a male character. He was written as a man and I think he will probably stay a man. And that’s good like that. We don't have to turn male characters into women. Instead, let's create female characters and make the story fit those female characters. »
This is where we remember that the film centered on Jinx (Halle Berry) after Die another day was ultimately canceled.
“I was only in the film for 5 minutes”
Gemma Arterton also took the opportunity to say that she was a little overwhelmed by the public's memory of the James Bond films, given that she played a tiny role in Quantum of Solace :
“I don't regret having made a James Bond, but I'm perplexed to see that it followed me like that. I was only in the film for five minutes. »
Five minutes which were enough to launch your international careerlike many other James Bond girls before her. She notably followed up with a few blockbusters like Clash of the Titans (2010) et Prince of Persia (2010), before opening our eyes and focusing on films that are at least interesting, like The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Tamara Drew directed by Stephen Frears and Byzantium directed by Neil Jordan.
And apart from a few exceptions like The King’s Man : Première mission in 2021, she finally settled down in European rather than American cinemaincluding Gemma Bovery by Anne Fontaine with Fabrice Luchini, Orphan by Arnaud des Pallières with Adèle Haenel and Adèle Exarchopoulos, and My Zoé directed by Julie Delpy.
