James Bond actor Ben Whishaw says the franchise needs "radical" change

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"You can honor the character and the tradition, and you can push it forward, too"

Ben Whishaw in No Time to Die
(Image credit: Universal)

No Time to Die actor Ben Whishaw has voiced his opinion that the future of the James Bond franchise needs to be "something quite radical, something really different." The latest 007 flick is Daniel Craig's last outing as the secret agent, so who – and what – comes next has been a hot topic of conversation.

"If they want to continue with this character and the franchise, I think you can explode it and do anything," Whishaw told the Just for Variety podcast. "I don’t know what that should be, but it seems to me like it should be something quite radical, something really different. It’s got to change; it’s got to keep changing. We’re in different times now."

Whishaw plays Q, the head of the department in charge of gadgets at MI6 in the franchise, and his iteration of the character has appeared in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. 

"There will always be people who want it to stick to the way it was whenever ago, and they’re important, because they love these films," he added. "But I think you can do both. You can honor the character and the tradition, and you can push it forward, too. And I think you have to, if it’s not just going to become a kind of museum piece."

No Time to Die is released in theaters on September 30 in the UK and follows on October 8 in the US. In the meantime, check out our list of the best James Bond movies, ranked. 

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.