If you were looking forward to the first female James Bond I have some bad news for you but if you were not a fan of the change I have some great news for you. Variety recently held an interview with Barbara Broccoli of the Broccoli family that has produced the 25 bond films that span nearly 60 years . The interview focused on the upcoming No Time to Die set to premiere this April but also discussed the history of the franchise along with its future as this appears to be Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007.
There were headline reports last year that Lashana Lynch would be taking up the mantle as the new James Bond. This news sent shockwaves across the entertainment industry as such a drastic change to the characters gender was surely going to divide movie goers. But when asked about the selection process of choosing the new James Bond Barbara stated -
“He can be of any color, but he is male. I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”
With this news, it would appear that Lynch may possibly be a spin-off character but will not be a direct continuation of the main James Bond narrative. This means that the door is back open for Idris Elba or Richard Madden to take up the suit and Walther PPK.
Personally I could not agree more with Barbara’s opinion on what the James Bond character should be. I believe changing the character’s gender without it having any kind of logical or narrative reasoning is not a good decision. I believe that if Lashana Lynch’s character in No Time to Die is done properly then having her get her own franchise with her own fully fleshed out character would be a great addition to the Bond series.
As for who I think should play the character; Idris Elba without question.
Beyond the fact that having a black James Bond would be a progressive step for the series without the feeling that is being done for PC sake, he epitomizes the character. A Brit with a swagger that could seduce any woman into bed while also maintaining just enough gruffness to intimidate his adversaries. These are the characteristics that Daniel Craig brought to the character which at the time were unconventional but now I have established him as one of the staple Bonds and many peoples favorite.
As for the new M, he may have already done a British spy movie with The Kingsman but wouldn’t you love to see Samuel L Jackson with a British accent.
