It's James Bond, not Jane Bond: Producer shoots down hopes of a female 007

The Secret Service agent shouldn't be turned into a woman for a 'gimmick', says Barbara Broccoli

Don't expect to see a female behind James Bond's barrel any time soon. AP

All those hoping to see a female hand grasping 007's trigger in the future, prepare to be disappointed.

The famed Secret Service agent James Bond will likely always be played by a man on screen, according to the film franchise's producer.

"I always feel that Bond is a male character, that is just a fact," Barbara Broccoli told Good Morning Britain on Thursday, shortly after announcing new details for the upcoming 25th film about the British spy.

"We have to make movies about women and women's stories but we have to create female characters and not just for a gimmick turn a male character into a woman."

With her words, Broccoli – who has worked on Bond films since the 1980s – shattered the dreams of fans who've hoped, much like in the BBC's long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who, Bond wouldn't always be played by a man.

Doctor Who, which first hits screens in 1963, last year saw Jodie Whittaker take over the titular role as the 13th ever Doctor, and the first woman to do so.

James Bond, first created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952, has so far been portrayed by seven actors on screen: Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

The upcoming Bond 25 movie, for which filming started in Jamaica last week, will, however, get a female touch behind the scenes.

Fleabag creator and Killing Eve scriptwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge was last week confirmed as a co-writer on the movie's script, with Broccoli revealing she has "made a great contribution".

"[Bringing in Waller-Bridge] was Daniel [Craig]'s idea, we all leapt to it, we loved her," Broccoli added.

The 25th James Bond film, directed by Cary Fukunaga, is due to be released in April 2020, and will also star Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch, alongside Craig, in his last cinematic outing as 007.