Ana de Armas believes there's 'no need' for female James Bond

Ana de Armas has insisted there is "no need" for a woman to play James Bond.

The actress, who portrayed CIA agent Paloma in recent Bond outing No Time to Die, told The Sun that the British superspy should remain male following the departure of Daniel Craig.

"There's no need for a female Bond," she stated. "There shouldn't be any need to steal someone else's character, you know, to take over... This is a novel, and it leads into this James Bond world and this fantasy of that universe where he's at."

However, the Knives Out star believes the female characters that appear in the Bond franchise should have more depth and substance.

"What I would like is that the female roles in the Bond films, even though Bond will continue to be a man, are brought to life in a different way," she said. "That they're given a more substantial part and recognition. That's what I think is more interesting than flipping things."

Her comments echo those made by Craig last year. He told the Radio Times that actresses deserve to have a new character written for them rather than be a gender-flipped Bond.

"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?" he asked.

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has already declared that Bond "can be of any colour, but he is male".

Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson have yet to begin casting Craig's replacement.