London, Sep 30 (IANS): Actor Ben Whishaw, who reprises his role as Q in the latest 007 blockbuster "No Time To Die", has weighed in on the future of the fiction British spy on the big screen, and said he would like to see "real progress" when it comes to Hollywood star Daniel Craig's successor, with either Jonathan Bailey or Luke Evans playing a gay Bond.

Speaking to Attitude magazine, he said: "God, can you imagine? I mean, it would be quite an extraordinary thing. Of course I would like to see that.

"I really believe that we should be working towards a world where anyone can play anything and it would be really thrilling if it didn't matter about someone's sexuality to take on a role like this.

"I think that would be real progress. But we'll see, we'll see where we're at. I'm amazed by how much has changed just in the last five or six years, so we'll see."

Whishaw said there "aren't many out gay British actors", he did suggest either Jonathan Bailey or Luke Evans would be "ideal casting", reports femalefirst.co.uk.

He said: "They're both actors who it seems would be really capable of doing it and would be ideal casting. And it would be thrilling to see either of them do it.

"I wonder if either of them would want to -- because it's not just the demands of the role, but it's like the demands of being Bond in the world and what it symbolises and how it would change your life."

Craig, who plays Bond for the final time in "No Time Toe Die", said his successor shouldn't be female, but that women and people of colour should be offered similarly high-profile roles.