Although producer Barbara Broccoli has categorically ruled out the possibility of a female James Bond, it seems that mandate doesn’t extend to the super-spy’s iconic MI6 designation.
Last years, rumours began to circulate that Lashana Lynch’s character Nomi would not only be a new agent at the OO branch, but actually the new 007, having inherited the designation following Bond’s retirement in Spectre.
Unfortunately, the casting of a black woman as 007 didn’t sit right in some dark corners of the internet, and now Lynch has spoken to Harper’s Bazaar about the online backlash, as well as addressing how she worked with screenwriter Phoebe Waller Bridge to ensure Nomi had “a fresh female perspective” rather than being a carbon copy of Bond.
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“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,” said Lynch with regards to the backlash. “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.”
“A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for,” she continued. “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 percent authentic.”
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Hopefully, we’ll get to see Lynch’s 007 in action this coming April, assuming the film doesn’t find itself delayed once again due to the ongoing global health crisis.
Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
No Time To Die stars Daniel Craig (James Bond), Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Rory Kinnear (Tanner), Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann), Ben Whishaw (Q), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) and Christoph Waltz (Blofeld), while new additions include Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), Billy Magnussen (Velvet Buzzsaw), Dali Benssalah (A Faithful Man) and David Dencik (Top of the Lake).
