Spectre movie: Daniel Craig's James Bond 007 successor will be white and male reckons Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan, who has played Bond in four movies, has opined on speculation that fans could one day see a black or even a female James Bond. Speaking to Press Association, the 62-year-old Irish actor said that he predicts Bond will remain as a white male because that is what creator Ian Fleming intended.

"Anything is possible for sure, but I think he'll be male and he'll be white. There's wonderful black actors out there who could be James Bond, and there's no reason why you cannot have a black James Bond," Brosnan said.

Brosnan was less open to the idea of a female lead: "A female James Bond, no, I think it has to be male. James Bond is a guy, he's all male. His name is James, his name is James Bond."

Brosnan previously touched on the possibility of a future Bond being gay, telling Details magazine: "I don't think Barbara [Broccoli, the Bond producer] would allow a gay Bond to happen in her lifetime. But it would certainly make for interesting viewing."

Brosnan's comments come as Daniel Craig suits up for his fourth outing as Bond in the upcoming Spectre movie. Rumours have been rife for months that the 47-year-old star – who first took on the role of the secret agent in 2006's Casino Royale, will be replaced by Luther actor Idris Elba when he steps down. It is believed that Craig will continue to star as Bond for at least one more movie following Spectre, which is set for a UK release on 26 October.

In August, Elba once again denied the long-running rumour telling Maxim: "If I were the Bond producers, and everyone was pointing me toward one actor, what's the surprise in that? Honestly, it's one of those things that if it should happen, it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; it would be the will of a nation."

Spectre is directed by Sam Mendes and also stars Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes.