'James Bond' has been branded as an outdated hero by writer Lee Child.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
The 'Jack Reacher' author has suggested that it is time that 007 is killed off as he feels the spy is an "antidote to British Imperial decline" and "no longer has a place" in the modern world.
Lee – who turned down the chance to pen new adventures for the character – was quoted by the Daily Star newspaper as saying: "James Bond was a proxy to get a certain type of English person through a difficult time in the 1950s. But those days have gone now.
"I couldn't figure out how to make the story relevant to the modern day. It is effectively a period piece."
Lee claims that he twice rejected the opportunity to write a new Bond novel in the 2000s as he thought that 007 – who was created by Ian Fleming – was a response to "Britain's relative impotence in the 1950s".
Child also suggested that penning a Bond story would have been an "uneconomic use of my time" as he would have had to share the royalties from the book.
Daniel Craig is set to portray Bond on the big screen for the final time in 'No Time To Die', which is set to be released later this month, and revealed that he has "loved" every moment of playing the legendary character.
He said: "I am incredibly proud and incredibly fortunate to do this.
"I've loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one because I've got up every morning and I've had the chance to work with you guys, and that has been one of the greatest honours of my life.
"As far as I'm concerned, I've got the best job in the world."
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