Over it's 55+ years on the silver screen, Ian Fleming's James Bond, secret agent, 007, has been played by half a dozen actors (not counting David Niven).. All of which have been white males in their 30s-40s.. until now..
A seemingly credible source has told British Tabloid The Daily Mail, that there is a lot of firsts for the franchise in the upcoming yet untitled Bond film. The film, being referred to as Bond 25, is set to have a jaw-dropping moment towards the beginning.
Indeed, the source states, that M16 chief M (played by Ralph Fiennes) will kick off the pivotal scene by saying "Come in 007," as the camera pans to Lashana Lynch, the newly recruited 007 secret agent, who the Daily Mail describes as “black, beautiful, and a woman.”src
It should be pointed out that Lynch will NOT be playing the titular character James Bond, a role which will be reprised by Daniel Craig. Rather, Lynch is a newly hired 00 agent of Her Majesty's Secret Service, taking over the 007 codename that became available when Bond retired to Jamaica at the end of Spectre.
Essentially, this means James Bond is no longer 007 and 007 is no longer James Bond. Craig, who was contracted for 5 movies, will take on the mantle of Bond one last time in the movie set for release early next year. There have been some speculations about who might replace him as the new James Bond, particularly following negative comments the English actor made when asked if he would continue his role.
Bond 25 will see Craig's James Bond being called out of retirement to work alongside of the new female 007 to solve crimes and kick ass. He also supposedly takes a liking to her, true to his character, and tries to seduce her on screen.
To me, I embrace the filmmakers bold decisions to spice things up, but am left a bit confused as to what they are trying to achieve.. there are a lot of trends lately of rehashing old roles traditionally played by white males rebooted with female characters and characters of color (Think Ghostbusters).. but if James Bond is still around, and still up to his usual womanizing, and if they are still reliant on him to save the day, then this new 007 ploy might backfire.. leaving Lynch as more of a glorified Bond woman.
Also it begs the question.. what direction will the series go from here. Apparently the writers have stated that James Bond will always be a man, and he will stay true to his arrogant, debonair, martini shaking lifestyle. But they are also attempting to modernize the franchise post #METOO era. Therefore, are we going to be following the new female 007? or will the series take the narrative of a roguish, post-retirement vigilante James Bond (ala Tom Cruise: Mission Impossible?).
I have been a big fan of the series since as long as I can remember, and have watched all of the films. I am obviously excited about the buzz of the upcoming installment, but am biding my breath hoping that it doesn't meet the same fate of hollywoodization.. over dramatizing, and sensationalizing at the expense of the plot. (Think GoT, and hopefully not Star Wars)..
I guess, like all things, time will tell. Until then.. Power to you, Lashana Lynch, keep kickin ass and takin names! 😎