The new James Bond trailer had the internet abuzz, but left some asking: Is '007' now a woman?
'We don't have to turn male characters into women.'
Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Viewers did notice a conspicuous difference: A new double-O, and not just any new MI6 agent. The next James Bond film will introduce audiences to actress Lashana Lynch as a member of the elite British intelligence unit and the first woman to play the role. Lynch's presence is prompting many to speculate if she will eventually become the new 007.
Now that Craig has sworn he'll never come back for another installment, a new actor eventually will join that list, and the torch will get passed.Indeed, it is unclear what, exactly, Lynch's role will, but the trailer itself may offer some clues.
Judging by this first trailer, that new Bond could be Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel's Maria Rambeau). Ever since she was cast, there have been rumors that she might take up the mantle. This trailer doesn't prove that she's the new 007, just a double-0, but it also hints that she's the future of the franchise.
A female Double-O?
The trailer suggests that the first 007 film of the #MeToo era picks up where 2015's "Spectre" left off. Bond has taken an extended leave of absence in Jamaica, but ghosts from his love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann's past and a new villain now haunt him and British intelligence.Among those who come to pull Bond out of his early retirement are CIA agent Felix Leiter (a staple of the series) and Lynch's character, known only as Nomi. "Are you a double-O?" Bond asks her. "Two years," she replies.
That said, the film's trailer leaves much to the imagination. We do not know whether Nomi received the 007 designation while Bond was on leave in the Caribbean, if she was assigned another code number, or if she will become the next James Bond when Craig retires from the role. However, a cryptic tweet from Lynch suggests that Nomi could be the new 007.
James Bond will continue being played by a man
Fans of the franchise who are concerned Hollywood maybe be trying to make James Bond more politically correct seem to have little to worry about for now.First, it is worth noting that there are real-life female MI6 agents who are reportedly excellent at their jobs. Therefore, the mere presence of a female double-O in "No Time To Die" would be more akin to art imitating life than studio executives imposing excessively "woke" cultural values on the rest of the world.
Next, even if Nomi were named as 007, she would not necessarily replace the James Bond character. In the films, the double-O numbers are codes assigned to a special class of British intelligence officers. For instance, in 1995's "Goldeneye," a character named Alec Trevelyan was also known as Agent 006. In other words, if Bond took a leave of absence in the film, spy chief "M" may have given his code number to another agent, but that does not mean that the character has been replaced in this film or future ones.
In fact, the film's producer, Barbara Broccoli, has made it clear that James Bond will continue to be played by men. "Bond is male," she said last year while dismissing speculation that the legendary British spy's gender would be changed. "He's a male character. He was written as a male and I think he'll probably stay as a male."
"And that's fine. We don't have to turn male characters into women. Let's just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters," Broccoli added.
The U.S. release date for "No Time To Die" has been set for April 8.
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