James Bond will always be male, says producer Barbara Broccoli

James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has ruled out gender swap to the character of the suave British spy, saying the part will always be played a male. British star Daniel Craig is preparing to leave the iconic role after the upcoming 25th movie in the series.

"I always feel that Bond is a male character, that is just a fact. 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," Broccoli told "Good Morning Britain" during Bond 25's launch event in Jamaica.

She also confirmed that it was Craig's decision to rope in Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a co-writer on the film.

"It was Daniel's idea, we all leapt to it, we loved her. She has made a great contribution to it," she said.

Bond 25 also features Oscar winner Rami Malek in the role of the villain.