Black British actress Lashana Lynch has been slated to take over the role of 007 from Daniel Craig, according to reports. While Craig will retain the titular role of James Bond, this will be the first time a black woman has been chosen to replace his character’s role in MI6 — and fans are overjoyed.
The script begins with Bond retired from the spy business in Jamaica. However, paradise is short-lived after he receives a call from spymaster M — played by Ralph Fiennes — who urges him to return and tackle a new crisis.
“There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says ‘come in 007’, and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful and a woman,” says a movie insider, as quoted by the Daily Mail .
“It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman.”
While movie producers have previously stated that Craig’s role as James Bond will never be replaced by a female lead, it’s unclear whether Lynch will become a permanent fixture in the franchise.
The upcoming movie, which will be the 25th instalment in the Bond franchise, will add to Lynch’s acting repertoire of strong female roles. She made her film debut as a competitive sprinter in Fast Girls (2011) and got her breakthrough earlier this year, as fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel.
Lynch’s role in the movie is thanks to the presence of another female presence in the room — script-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose hire was requested by Craig himself. Waller-Bridge is only the second female writer in the history of the 54-year-old franchise.
“This is a Bond for the modern era who will appeal to a younger generation while sticking true to what we all expect in a Bond film,” added the movie insider. “There are spectacular chase sequences and fights, and Bond is still Bond but he’s having to learn to deal with the world of #MeToo.”
Waller-Bridge was brought in to shake up the franchise, after there was much debate surrounding the future of the franchise. “There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Bond is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now,” said Waller-Bridge, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“[The franchise] has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to his character”
Lynch’s role comes a year after Bond producer Barbara Broccoli told the Guardian there could never be a female Bond. “And that’s fine. We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters,” she said.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
