The James Bond franchise has killed itself off by confirming that Lashana Lynch’s character in the upcoming No Time To Die movie will inherit the title of 007.
Harpers Bazaar published an interview with Lynch with a headline that reads, “Lashana Lynch on making history as the first Black female 007.”
Yrsa Daley-Ward, who wrote the article, also stated, “Today, on a still Saturday morning in August, Lynch is doing precisely that, chatting to me warmly and directly about her latest – and surely career-defining – role in No Time to Die, the Bond franchise’s 25th release, in which she stars as Nomi, the secret agent who inherits the 007 title while Bond himself is in exile.”
Later in the article Daley-Ward would add, “We saw this in her nuanced, solid performance as the single mother and pilot Maria Rambeau in last year’s Captain Marvel, in which she successfully stretched the bounds of what a hero is meant to be, and we will see it again in her outing as the first ever female 007.”
While the article doesn’t offer any quotes from Lynch confirming that she will be 007, there is one that heavily implies she will be 007.
Lynch stated, “I am one Black woman – if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse.”
“I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I’m a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary,” Lynch added.
According to Harpers Bazaar, this comment came in response to a discussion about the rumors that Lynch’s character would be taking on the role of 007 in the film.
Related: Report: Captain Marvel Actress Lashana Lynch to Play 007 in New James Bond Movie
Those rumors surfaced back in July 2019. The Daily Mail reported Lynch would play Agent 007.
Their source claimed, “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.”
“It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman,” the source added.
That same source would also claim that Craig’s James Bond would attempt to seduce Lynch’s 007. The source elaborated, “Bond, of course, is sexually attracted to the new female 007 and tries his usual seduction tricks, but is baffled when they don’t work on a brilliant, young black woman who basically rolls her eyes at him and has no interest in jumping into his bed. Well, certainly not at the beginning.”
Related: Rumor: James Bond’s No Time To Die Film Will Undergo Reshoots To Alter Major Plot Point
The source described the film as “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. 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.”
The official 007 Twitter account would share the Harpers Bazaar article appearing to confirm Lynch will be 007.
As for her character in No Time To Die, Lynch commented, “A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for.”
“I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented. In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I’m presenting needs to be 100 per cent authentic,” she explained.
Former Bond Girl Trina Parks, who played Thumper opposite Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever, reacted to the rumors at the time stating, “Lashana is a great actress, but I don’t really agree with her becoming 007. It’s not about her colour – a black James Bond, sure. But as a man.”
Parks continued, “It’s just because Bond, the spy code named 007, was written by Ian Fleming as a man. Miss Bond doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
“I think that there are lots of movies already where you have a woman taking center stage, defeating men – and I like that. But I don’t feel James Bond has to go there. It’s been a tremendous franchise since the 60s, and they’ve always been innovators not followers. They set a standard – that has remained a classic film with a man as Bond. That’s how I think it should stay,” she elaborated.
Not only did Harpers Bazaar claim Lynch is playing 007, but they also claim that her role in the film is to confront “stereotypes around race and gender that have persisted for far too long.”
Lynch stated, “I feel very grateful that I get to challenge those narratives.”
“We’re moving away from toxic masculinity, and that’s happening because women are being open, demanding and vocal, and calling out misbehaviour as soon as we see it,” she added.
Lynch went on to state she plans to use her platform as a celebrity for change. She stated, “We are not stick figures.”
“Now we’re in a time when artists have enough collective energy to evoke change. There’s real work to be done, there are frank conversations to be had. A magazine cover is already pretty, the words don’t have to be,” the No Time To Die actor said.
In fact, Lynch says she’s already speaking up on set. She explained, “As I have come more into myself, I have found ways to remain respectful of others but still true to myself.”
She continued, “If something felt misrepresented or inaccurate – for example, the dynamic between a mother and her child, or the way we might wrap our hair to sleep at night… I had to learn to speak up. I’ve been cast to tell an authentic story, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Related: Rumor: James Bond To Have Daughter In ‘No Time To Die’
Lynch would go on to claim her main job is “her culture’s fight.”
However, she also stated, “As a newcomer to some of these spaces, on a Monday morning you’re speaking up, making your point heard on set, and by lunchtime you’ve got to get on with the job, energy pure and intact so you can give your best work.”
What do you make of Lynch’s comments? What do you make of the fact that Lynch’s character will be 007? Do you think this is the end for the James Bond franchise?