There’s a new 007 in town and she’s exactly what the franchise needed. After decades of daring escapades, high-speed chases, action-packed blockbuster sequences, and intense showdowns reserved for the man they call Bond… James Bond, the 007 franchise finally has a female lead that is more than just the MI5 agent’s love interest.
Lashana Lynch, known for her role in Captain Marvel as the fiery Mariah Rambeau, etched her name in history when she was cast to star alongside Daniel Craig in the latest film from the seemingly never-ending James Bond series, No Time to Die. Consequently, Lynch has singularly and eternally altered our perception of what it means to be a female lead in the ever-popular Bond franchise, placing its tiresomely stereotypical (and often objectionable) presentation of women firmly beneath her feet, while ushering in a long awaited and, quite frankly, much needed change for the franchise which, for so long, has relied far too heavily on its “Bond girl” dynamic for its lead female.
Lynch’s turn as Nomi in No Time to Die may not be what the Bond faithful had in mind for the next 007, but it is most certainly what the franchise itself needed: diversification. And while some have criticised the decision to cast Lynch, with claims her introduction is nothing more than a box ticking exercise dressed as the pursuit of progressive representation, the truth is, Lashana Lynch’s arrival in No Time Die has injected new life into the 007 franchise, paved the way for more diverse casting in the future, and created an opening for far more culturally inclusive roles.
You may or may not like Lynch’s appointment as the only other 007 in history, but there is no denying that the casting of the 33-year-old, Jamaican, from Hammersmith, London, has changed the landscape of James Bond… forever.
Written by: Liam Spencer
Wordplay & Flow 