As sad as it sounds to say 70 years on from the character’s literary debut and more than 60 removed from the big screen franchise’s first installment, there continues to be a bitter undertone to the never-ending debate over who should be the next iteration of James Bond.
With Daniel Craig bowing out with a literal bang in No Time to Die and the role wide open for the next reboot – which marks the first under new management following Amazon’s acquisition of MGM – the rumor mill continues to spin in perpetuity, with all sorts of contenders old and new being thrown into the mix.
A suggestion that could generously be described as somewhat contentious was relayed to the audience at the Cheltenham Literature Festival (per The Telegraph) by 30-year Foreign Service veteran and current operative trainer John Taylor, and while you can understand what he’s trying to say in terms of 007 being a recruitment tool, history has shown that the sentiment wouldn’t be reciprocated by everyone.
“The only thing chiefs, I think, would want to change, going back to an earlier conversation, and it may happen yet, is that James Bond should be a Black man, or a woman, or a Black woman, and you know [it] would make those sort of people also, for diversity, want to join. James Bond has been nothing but good.”
Longtime front-runner Idris Elba recently revealed how the racist backlash to the mere suggestion of him slipping into the tux soured him on the notion of becoming Bond, while No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch was subjected to horrendous online abuse and even death threats simply for being awarded the codename of 007 within the context of a fictional movie.
The producers behind the franchise have admitted there’s no chance a woman will be cast as the iconic secret agent, but even hinting as much unfortunately has the potential to rile up the internet’s darkest and most unsavory corners.