‘She was Bond but better’: You may not want to make that bet on Jodie Comer being the first female James Bond

To use Doctor Who parlance, James Bond is about to regenerate – with the world’s longest-running film franchise in need of a new lead come the 26th cinematic outing for 007. With Bond now over 60 years old, many feel that the character needs a major change to keep up with the times. Just look at its aforementioned fellow British institution — Doctor Who has just replaced its first female Doctor with its first Black Doctor. So there’s a growing desire to see a woman or a person of color play the super-spy.

And as for who this prospective first female Bond could be, Jodie Comer has risen up as a popular choice. Global betting site Betway revealed back in June that the odds were cranking up over Comer landing the coveted gig. And the idea set the fandom alight to boot, considering that the recent Tony Award winner more than proved herself in the spy genre with her acclaimed turn as the loveably psychopathic (or psychopathically loveable, take your pick) Villanelle in Killing Eve.

However, despite Betway’s stats, you may want to hold off on making that bet on Comer as our next Bond given that the actress has already indicated she might not actually want the job, throwing some considerable shade on the MI6 agent in the process. Back in October 2021, while talking with Access Hollywood about The Last Duel, Comer was confronted with rumors — even then — that she was in the running for the part.

After reacting with wide-eyed surprise, the star initially went with the traditional “oh, you never know what’ll happen” spiel before admitting that taking on Bond could be a bit of a step backward for her:

“Well, never say never to anything. You know, you never want to say never say never to anything, I don’t think. But I feel like Villanelle was my… You know, I feel like she was Bond — but better.”

Going by Comer’s comments, we can maybe extrapolate that she is one of those who believes new female James Bond alternatives should be created rather than simply gender-swapping the hero himself, much like Heart of Stone‘s Gal Gadot. Regardless, the conversation surrounding if 007 should be a woman and who should be that woman isn’t going to quieten anytime soon, and Comer certainly isn’t ruling out the idea forever. To namedrop a Sean Connery movie – never say never again.