Over the years, we've been able to enjoy a select group of celebrated actors who have all uttered that immortal phrase: "The name's Bond. James Bond."
From the lisping Sean Connery and charming Roger Moore in the 60s and 70s, to the cheesy, sleazy Pierce Brosnan in the 90s and the grim, gritty Daniel Craig of the early 21st century, there have been several iterations of 007 taking on a slew of henchmen, femme fatales and potential world-ending catastrophes, but they've all got one thing in common: they're all white dudes.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but could we be seeing a change soon?
Of course, the honour of portraying James Bond currently goes to Daniel Craig, who's held the mantle since 2006's Casino Royale, a film with bits of action and Mads Mikkelsen scowls thrown in and around what amounted to a really long poker game.
Three movies later, Craig declared that 2016's Spectre was his last outing in the trademark tux, saying he'd rather "slash his wrists" than play Bond again, but they've managed to drag him back kicking and screaming for one last movie, though I guess the £100 million pay packet was more than a little persuasive. However, what happens after?
Barbara Broccoli is a producer who's currently in charge of the flagship series of spy movies, and while we've seen quite a few actors, including Tom Hardy or James Norton, being mooted for the role, both of those casting rumours could be well wide of the mark. When asked if the next iteration of Bond could be black or female (maybe even both!), she dropped a huge hint.
"These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit. Anything is possible. Right now it's Daniel Craig, and I'm very happy with Daniel Craig, but who knows what the future will bring?"
Of course, Broccoli, who's taken over from her father Albert "Cubby" Broccoli in adapting Ian Fleming's iconic series of novels, has already overseen a small reboot to the character with Daniel Craig's take on James Bond; rather than the dark-haired charmers previously depicted, the latest 007 is blond and brutally effective. Who's to say where the character will go next? Of course, this isn't the first time that we've toyed with the idea of a black James Bond, at least; shortly before Daniel Craig finally acquiesced to appearing in another Bond film, Idris Elba (best known for his roles in the Wire, Luther as well as Pacific Rim) was briefly mooted as a potential to replace him as everyone's favourite spy. At the time, the potential casting was met with significant backlash; novelist Anthony Horowitz (who's also written James Bond continuation novels) had to apologise for branding Elba "too street" to play James Bond. "I’m really sorry my comments about Idris Elba have caused offence. That wasn’t my intention. Clumsily, I chose the word ‘street’ as Elba’s gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offence." Although Elba could possibly be too old to play James Bond today (he's 45 years old, while Daniel Craig was 38 for his first film in Casino Royale), we could be seeing a person of colour or a woman in the role very soon.