The Bond 25 set is springing all sorts of leaks, beginning with the revelation of Christoph Waltz’s return as villain Blofeld. But one has to think this new leak, which we have to consider a rumor at this stage, is something nobody wanted to see revealed because it could be the biggest moment the franchise has ever had.
There has been so much speculation over who should be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig hangs it up. Many have called for a person of color, such as Idris Elba; others have said 007 should be a woman. Well, what if it was both?
The Daily Mail, which outside of scooper Baz Bamigboye can be spotty, reports that Captain Marvel breakout Lashana Lynch will take over as 007 in Bond 25. This “popcorn-dropping moment” is the inspiration of writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who came in late to the production and is already having quite an impact.
The story will find Craig’s James Bond retired and living in Jamaica, scenes of which we’ve glimpsed in set photos. That leaves the 007 codename open and given to Lynch’s character, who is introduced to Bond when M (Ralph Fiennes) pulls him out of retirement to handle a major crisis. It’s unclear if Lynch stay on the franchise beyond this point, however. So we may not see a true passing of the torch here.
And continuing on what this very progressive step, Lynch’s character isn’t going to be so easily wooed by Bond’s attempts at seduction. The report adds…
“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.”
I temper caution here, folks. We’ve seen other strong women opposite James Bond before, and strong women of color, at that. I’m hoping we get some interactions between Lynch and Naomie Harris’ Moneypenny. It’s possible that Lynch’s character doesn’t survive the film, or maybe even turns out to be a villain. Just don’t be surprised when/if James Bond gets his 007 back by the end of the movie.
