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Gillian Anderson As The Next James Bond? Fans Say Yes With #NextBond Twitter Campaign

By Jennifer Ricketts
Published on: 13:44 PST, May 22, 2016

While the identity of the next James Bond is up in the air, X-Files and Hannibal actress Gillian Anderson’s name popped up during a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #NextBond. The actress noticed, and her response seemed to indicate she would be on board with gender flipping the character and taking over as the famous spy.

Yahoo News reports Anderson, 47-years-old, responded to fans on Twitter by retweeting a fan-made poster that features her in place of Craig with the title 007, writing, “It’s Bond. Jane Bond. Thanks for all the votes! (And sorry, don’t know who made poster but I love it!) #NextBond.”

MoviePilot writer Tom Chapman believes Anderson is more than ready to take on the role of James Bond. He notes that after years spent as an FBI special agent on The X-Files and a psychiatrist who endured “psychological torture” on NBC’s Hannibal, Anderson is a woman who can “remain shaken but not stirred.”

Speculation has run rampant that Daniel Craig won’t return as Bond amid rumors the actor turned down a salary of $100 million to return as the super spy. He also said in an October interview with Time Out London that if he did return as Bond, it would “only be for the money.”

An LA film source reportedly told the Daily Mail, “Daniel is done – pure and simple – he told top brass at MGM after Spectre. They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn’t what he wanted.”

Craig took the interview several steps further and said he’d rather “slash his wrists” than play Bond even just one more time.

“Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.”

Can’t imagine a Gillian Anderson as Bond? The idea of gender-swapping an iconic character isn’t a new one. Just ask Whovians every time the current actor playing the role of the Doctor on Doctor Who ends up leaving. Fans always weigh in on actresses they’d love to see play the Time Lord, and even change the Doctor’s companion, who’s usually female, to a male.

As part of the #NextBond Twitter campaign, other female stars were mentioned as possible contenders to play Bond, including Lena Headey, Daisy Ridley, Emily Blunt, Jennifer Lawrence and Janelle Monae.

Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston have both been rumored to be next in line to play Bond. While Hiddleston said no one has approached him about the role, Elba said, “If it should happen, that’s proof there’s connectivity amongst human beings. If everyone wants something, they can make it happen. That would be true.”

Hiddleston, however, has expressed interest in playing the secret agent, as he told the Sunday Times earlier this year.

“I’m a huge fan of the series. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity.”

Actress Judi Dench took over the role of “M” from Robert Brown in the Bond films, so would it be too much of a stretch if James Bond became Jane Bond or the role going to a black actor? Possibly, since controversy erupted over the Ghostbusters reboot for being led by a female cast, and remember when a writer called actor Idris Elba “too street” to be Bond?

Is Hollywood ready to make bold moves in casting Bond? Perhaps. The character has been portrayed by seven different actors, all of them white males, over the last five decades of films.

The next film installment in the James Bond series currently does not have a title nor a release date and will be the 25th film in the series.

Would you like to see Gillian Anderson as the next James Bond?

[Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP]

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