James Bond: Die Another Day's Rosamund Pike SLAMS calls for FEMALE 007 after Daniel Craig

The 50-year-old may have one James Bond movie to go, but speculation over his replacement is still rife.

While the bookies favourites are Tom Hardy and James Norton, the odds on any actress playing a gender-swapped 007 are 11/1.

In fact A Quiet Place star Emily Blunt is the female frontrunner at 33/1.

Nevertheless former Bond girl Pike, who played Miranda Frost in 2002’s Die Another Day, believes Bond should only be played by a man.

Speaking with Uproxx, the 39-year-old said: “I’d just say write a new story. I mean James Bond is a character that Ian Fleming created.

“I mean, you know of course the brand has become bigger and whatever, but take one of the Bond Girls and give her her own story.

“I think the character of James Bond is a man. He is really. But I mean, to have such a character in a completely independent series, why should a woman get sort of sloppy seconds?

“Why should she have once been a man and now it has to be played by a woman? Why not make a kick-ass female agent in her own right?”

Pike continued: “Yeah, you can’t always just flip it and just say, ‘Oh, she’s a woman now.’ I mean, that’s to underestimate a woman entirely I think.

“There’s nothing really about the James Bond character as written by Ian Fleming that resembles a woman.

“It’s a very masculine creation. So sure, make an unexpected, unapologetic, kick-ass, amazing female agent and yes, I’ll play her.”

Pike isn’t the only Bond star to criticise calls for a female 007, with M actress Dame Judi Dench and Blofeld star Christoph Waltz adding their support for the character to stay male.

Dench said: “I think it should be a man.”

While Blofeld star Waltz added: Why?…Come on. Have your own movie if you want. Why does it have to be James Bond?

“What would be her first name? Jemima? My answer is decidedly not.”

James Bond 25 will be released in UK cinemas in November 2019.