The moment that the trailer dropped (last year) for the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die, rumors exploded that Lashana Lynch would be the first female James Bond. The British actress is known for her role in Captain Marvel as Maria Rambeau, Carol Danvers’ best friend.
https://tenor.com/embed.jsCheck out the No Time To Die trailer
Reactions to a Jane Bond??
Reactions to this possible new reality of a female James Bond were mixed. There was praise for a groundbreaking move to cast a Black woman as Bond and then backlash from predictably racist and sexist viewpoints. The presence of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was brought in to help brush up the script, enhanced the talk of a transition to a female Bond. However, when details regarding the 25th Bond film came to light it became clear that Lynch portrays Nomi, who takes the 007 codename in Daniel Craig’s absence as the super spy. This brings up an interesting point: what if there was a Jane Bond?
Halle Berry would’ve been a great female James Bond
https://tenor.com/embed.jsBerry’s fun Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson was so popular in Die Another Day (2002) that there was talk of a spin-off series. MGM was keen to capitalize on the project and scheduled a launch for a separate franchise in 2004 with Halle Berry set to reprise her role.
However, MGM pulled the plug on the project. The studio favored restarting the series with a new James Bond (Daniel Craig’s James Bond). *insert eye roll here* Barbara Broccoli and EON films were disappointed, as they wanted to see a successful spin-off with a lead female.
Berry recently spoke of her disappointment with that decision. “It was ahead of its time,” she said. “Nobody was ready to sink that kind of money into a Black female action star. They just weren’t sure of its value. That’s where we were then.” Alas…
The Bottom Line from Barbara Broccoli
https://tenor.com/embed.jsThere has been speculation for years of a female Bond known as Jane Bond. Candidates included Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike, and Emily Blunt. However, head of EON Productions and producer of the 007 films Barbara Broccoli has stated several times that Bond will remain male. She reiterated this to Vanity Fair earlier this year, maintaining that he was written as a male character in Ian Fleming’s novels and will stay as such. Broccoli also said, “He can be of any color…” which opens the door for perhaps a Black or Asian Bond?
So Who’s the Next Bond?
Idris Elba has been mentioned many times as a successor to Craig’s Bond. But age has caught up with the popular star. In order to keep the franchise moving forward, the studio needs a younger Bond. So who does that leave? Here’s a look at the frontrunners:
Tom Hardy
According to a Star Trek blog called The Vulcan Reporter, Hardy has already been cast as Bond. The blog claimed on Sept. 18 that Hardy will be named when No Time to Die opens. Every other week, British newspapers and tabloids tout various names as the new Bond, but Hardy is the leader as the bookies’ favorite.
Henry Cavill
Rumors abound in several directions regarding Henry Cavill. Is he the next Bond or is he continuing in the DCU as Superman? It was said he had signed a 3-picture deal to reprise his role as Superman. But in a recent GQ interview, he would not confirm. And in fact, in the same interview stated, “If Barbara [Bond producer Barbara Broccoli] and Mike [co-producer Michael G. Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity…”
So who knows!! I don’t think we’ll know until after No Time to Dies releases. But then it could be even longer, if COVID-19 causes another delay and pushes the film into 2021. (As of Oct. 2, Deadline reported MGM postponed the release of the film again to Easter 2021.)
My Choice for a Female James Bond
Thandie Newton
https://tenor.com/embed.jsI’ll still cling to my dreams of a female super spy someday. I understand keeping the iconic James Bond male as he has been for the past 58 years. I love the Bond films. They’ve moved past stereotypical Bond girls and tired misogyny tropes with the Craig movies. And No Time to Die looks like it could be furthering strong female characters in a Bond world.
But part of me does think: Why not have a female Bond? If I could pick a female 007, my choice would be Thandie Newton. She checks all the boxes for me: strong, smart, British and beautiful. A girl can dream, can’t she?
And then back to reality?
But if I have to pick a male James Bond, then…
If I could choose the next Bond, I would choose Henry Golding. He proved his sophistication and charm in Crazy, Rich Asians. And at 33, he has the advantage of longevity for at least a four-picture run. Plus, he’s hot. I mean…peep this…
https://tenor.com/embed.jsAll right Geek Gals, pipe up with your Bond preferences! Comment below or tweet us @geekgalsco.
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Sources
- https://gritdaily.com/why-we-never-saw-the-james-bond-spinoff-halle-berry-deserved/
- https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/21/007-heaven-why-tom-hardy-as-the-new-bond-is-too-good-to-be-true
- https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/henry-cavill-enola-holmes
- https://www.thevulcanreporter.com/exclusives/tom-hardy-new-james-bond/
- https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Nomi
- https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a28419248/new-james-bond-007-lashana-lynch/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51133194
- https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/01/james-bond-female-007-broccoli
- https://deadline.com/2020/10/no-time-to-die-delayed-to-easter-2021-1234590519/
Featured image credit: MGM
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