'Diehard' 007 Fan: Please Don't Make Him a Woman

The news left James Bond fans "shaken and stirred." On Thursday, it was revealed Amazon has won creative control of the iconic 007 film series, meaning it will decide where the character and story go next. Before Amazon gets carried away with its plans, "diehard" Bond fan Luka Ladan offers some suggestions via the Los Angeles Times. Rather than simply treat the character as "content" to be put to use as part of "a soulless money grab," as he suggests was Disney's approach with Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Ladan urges Amazon to stay the path laid by Bond author Ian Fleming in 1952. In other words, the next 007 can't be gay—or a woman.

For many, Bond is "an introduction to masculinity"—"simultaneously hero, tragic figure and cautionary tale, showing men how to be the best versions of themselves while also exposing the pitfalls of debauchery, excess and sin," Ladan writes. To make him "female, gay or otherwise not James Bond," a character the audience "has grown to know, like and trust," would be catering only to a small group who view Bond as "offensive to modern sensibilities," Ladan writes. And such a minority "can't be effectively monetized." Indeed, the result would be "lower box office numbers, fewer clicks and a steady erosion of Bond's impact on the culture," Ladan writes. In that case, "Amazon will become Bond's greatest villain." Read the full piece here. (More James Bond stories.)