People are seriously asking themselves why a quintessential alpha-male like James Bond cannot be played by a woman. James Bond is a character who inhabits a time when there was a bright line between good and evil, right and wrong and an overarching patriotic duty to one’s country. His savoir-faire in handling danger while wooing beautiful women and vanquishing evil men is legendary. And yet, there are people who see the character of James Bond as a product of white privilege, misogyny, bigotry and project the world’s social ills on a fictitious character.
As a book-reading Ian Fleming/James Bond fan, I find that the cinema-based story is giving way to spectacular special effects and gadgetry. The struggle between good and evil is becoming routine and cartoonish. But allowing a woman to play James or Jane Bond would severely destroy the value of the Bond franchise in the name of political correctness.
If one wants a James Bond-like character that happens to be a woman, let them look at the role of Emma Peel so ably played by Dianna Rigg in the Avengers. Let these people create their own characters rather than sacrifice iconic characters to political correctness.
The same can be said of those whose target demographic is mostly male between the ages of 18-34 and who find themselves being pressured to turn strong male characters into metrosexuals to satisfy a tiny number of extremely vocal agitators and activists. Bond was portrayed as a gentleman with impeccable manners, a comprehensive knowledge of food, wine, and a world traveler at home anywhere in the world. In essence, Cary Grant with a gun.
There might be something said for “refreshing a character” through dress and accessories – but one does not just dilute the battle between good and evil in an attempt to socially engineer the acceptance of minorities and outsiders in some twisted example of moral equivalence, multiculturalism, or political correctness. One look at the iconic Bond in a dress and it becomes a blurred, featureless parody of the real deal.
Keep an eye open to the type of political correctness dilutes the value of iconic properties and destroys jobs in the process.