While the debate of whether the role of James Bond should ever be taken over by a woman never seems to end, Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes has put his own spin on the future of Bond by suggesting the next movie should be helmed by a female director. The James Bond franchise is about to celebrate its 60th anniversary, and while producer Barbara Broccoli has made it perfectly clear that James Bond will always remain James Bond, there is nothing to stop a female from taking over behind the camera.

James Bond first hit the big screen in the U.K. on October 5, 1962, with Sean Connery in the lead role as the suave spy, a role that has since been played by four other actors. Following the departure of Daniel Craig from the role with No Time To Die, the hunt is now on for the sixth Bond star, and it has been rumored that this time around, it will be a younger actor bringing a completely new take on the character to screens.

While speaking to Deadline, Sam Mendes has thrown his weight behind the idea of Bond’s behind-the-scenes crew evolving in a new way, and even if Bond himself will always be a male character, that doesn’t mean the director needs to be. He said:

"I don’t envy Barbara having to follow Daniel’s [Craig] five movies. He reinvigorated the franchise but the franchise is so huge that it’s very difficult for a younger actor to step into that. Let me rephrase that. I think that the actor playing Bond is going to evolve, the director has to evolve. I think it would be wonderful to see a woman directing Bond. I think it would be wonderful.”

Related: James Bond Producers Looking for a Younger Actor to Resurrect Franchise

The Next James Bond Will Reinvent the Franchise Again

Just as Daniel Craig’s James Bond rebooted the franchise with a more grounded and brutal take on the superspy, the next iteration of Bond will likely shake up the formula once again, with a much younger actor being rumored to be the target for Barbara Broccoli and her team. While this will not be delving into the adventures of James Bond as a teenager, it has been widely rumored that someone in their early 30s is the likely candidate for the position.

Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond brought his time in the role to a shattering close, with No Time To Die being the first movie in six decades to make the bold decision to kill off James Bond. This instantly sets up a completely new Bond in the next movie in the franchise, but that is something that is currently a little way off with work yet to begin on Bond 26. Naturally, there have been plenty of names already thrown in the ring, with many of the usual suspects such as Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Henry Cavill being mentioned despite the emphasis seeming to be on someone younger than any of these.