James Bond could have been a woman: Female lead proposed before Sean Connery was cast in Dr No

James Bond could have been a woman according to revelations shared in Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of James Bond author Ian Fleming, entitled Ian Fleming: The Complete Man.

Reported by Variety, it’s been revealed that the first time the idea of a female James Bond was pitched was over sixty years ago, with the book claiming that five-time Oscar nominee Susan Hayward was reportedly in the running before Sean Connery was picked for Dr No. In fact the book says Hayworth was the front runner for a film adaptation of Fleming’s first Bond novel Casino Royale.

In the book he writes: “Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman, Susan Hayward. Ian had entertained several possibilities, from Richard Burton (‘I think that Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond’), to James Stewart (‘I wouldn’t at all mind him as Bond if he can slightly anglicise his accent’), to James Mason (‘We might have to settle for him’)”.

Speculation has been growing surrounding the identity of the next James Bond, who will take over from Daniel Craig. Many famous names have been in the mix including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Hardy, but there is little buzz about a female lead.

In an interview with Variety in 2012, screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. also stated this claim, adding that Ratoff was only interested in Hayward because they believed Bond “was kind of unbelievable and as I recall, even kind of stupid. So Gregory thought the solution was to make Bond a woman, ‘Jane Bond’ if you will.”

There has yet to be a female James Bond, however in 2021, Lashana Lynch became the first woman to be given a 007 title, and Dame Judi Dench did play the role of M, the Head of Secret Intelligence Service.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.