James Bond 'could be a man or woman' of any race or age, says No Time To Die actor Lashana Lynch

Actor Lashana Lynch, who will next be seen in the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die, has denied speculation that she could take over the franchise as the lead in future installments.

"Nooo! You don't want me!" she told The Guardian in an interview.

The 33-year-old actor said the next Bond can be anyone: a man or woman, a young or old person, from any race.

"We are in a place in time where the industry is not just giving audiences what it thinks the audience wants. They're actually giving the audience what they want to give the audience.

"With Bond, it could be a man or woman. They could be white, black, Asian, mixed race. They could be young or old. At the end of the day, even if a two-year-old was playing Bond, everyone would flock to the cinema to see what this two-year-old's gonna do, no?" the Captain Marvel star said.

Lashana plays Nomi, an MI6 agent who is rumoured to inherit Bond's iconic number 007 in the film, which also stars Daniel Craig in his final performance as the franchise lead.

Her comments come at a time when actors including Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are the frequently mentioned candidates for the role of the next Bond.

Talking about her character of Nomi, the actor said the makers were just looking for someone who would be able to be a match for Bond.

"... Who would be able to stand up and be vocal and forthright and strong and able to handle a weapon, able to handle herself and not someone who takes any cr** from anybody at all.

"Then, as it unfolded, she became this quite complicated, free, open-minded vocal human being who brings a really nice twist to MI6," Lashana added.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that No Time to Die will be the longest film in the franchise's history, prompting some amount of backlash from fans.

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film also stars Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw, Naomi Harris, Jeffery Wright, Christoph Waltz, and Ralph Fiennes.

No Time To Die is slated to be released in UK theatres on September 30.