Personally, I think when it comes to the iconic character of James Bond, two things should generally remain the same: Male and British. But only one of these I'd argue can never be changed (their nationality). A female Bond could work, if the context was that 007 James Bond was a codename, and they made it so the past Bonds were all canonically tied somehow, and it's just a codename that gets past on, which is a big fan theory anyway.
With that said, if they made James Bond a woman, it'd not be because it'd be an interesting direction. The marketing would inevitably be about inclusivity, and the film would pretend like she's just Bond, but a woman, and not take into account that she is a woman into how she interacts and how the story is told. Then we might get people talking about female empowerment, but I don't feel empowered for having a gender swapped James Bond. I'd feel more empowered by having an original female character that is phenomenal.
