Daniel Craig once asserted that he could not "see any reason why ultimately a woman cannot play the James Bond character”. However, the actor has since U-turned on his comments, shared during a 2019 TV appearance, instead arguing in a new interview that female actresses deserve their own roles. The star, who will portray the famous spy for the fifth and final time in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/2021/09/02/james-bond-no-time-to-die-release-date-cast-and-trailer-for-new-007-movie/" target="_blank"><i>No Time to Die</i></a><i>, </i>this week shared his belief that "there should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour". "Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?” Craig told<i> Radio Times.</i> The 007 mantle will, however, be taken up by a woman in <i>No Time to Die, </i>which is set to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/2021/09/02/james-bond-no-time-to-die-release-date-cast-and-trailer-for-new-007-movie/" target="_blank">hit UAE cinemas in October</a><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/2021/09/02/james-bond-no-time-to-die-release-date-cast-and-trailer-for-new-007-movie/" target="_blank">.</a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/no-time-to-die-see-new-pictures-of-00-agent-lashana-lynch-1.1081750" target="_blank">Lashana Lynch</a> will be introduced as Nomi, the first female secret service agent bearing the famous suffix, but she <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2021/09/01/no-time-to-die-key-takeaways-from-the-final-trailer-for-the-james-bond-film/" target="_blank">isn't a direct replacement for James Bond.</a> Her casting led to much speculation about the likelihood of a female actress replacing Craig in the popular franchise. However, long-time James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli shot down such rumours last year. “James Bond can be of any colour, but he is male,” she told <i>Variety</i> in a 2020 interview. "I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters. I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that." In his <i>Radio Times</i> interview, Craig also addressed previous comments, given in 2015, when the actor stated he would "rather slash my wrists" than reprise his role as Bond after filming <i>Spectre</i>. "To be completely honest, I was thinking, 'I don't know if I can do another one of these.' I finished filming <i>Spectre</i> with a broken leg," Craig clarified. "To your point about being in my fifties now, I thought, 'Do I have this in me? Do I want to go through all of this?' I needed a break. But a little more skill in the answer might have been better. I was joking, but it came across as ungrateful." <i>No Time to Die</i>, which has been much delayed amid the Covid-19 pandemic, will form <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2021/09/01/no-time-to-die-key-takeaways-from-the-final-trailer-for-the-james-bond-film/">Craig's last outing as the world-famous spy</a>. The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, also features Oscar-winner Rami Malek as villain Lyutsifer Safin, Ana de Armas, Lea Seydoux and Naomie Harris. <i>No Time to Die</i>, the 25th James Bond film in the franchise, will be released on Thursday, October 7, in the UAE.