Move over, Bond: a black woman is the new 007

After literally swooning our way through many debates that Idris Elba will take over as the next 007, it has now come to light that Agent 007 will in fact be a woman, and a black woman at that.

In what can be termed as Hollywood making its firm statement on women of colour getting their due, the Daily Mail on Monday reported that British actor Lashana Lynch will be the new 007, replacing Daniel Craig, and thereby becoming the first woman to be Agent 007 in the franchise.

However, let it be noted that Lashana Lynch will not be the new Bond, she will only take over the 007 number from Craig after he leaves the MI6 in the next Bond 25 movie slated for release in April 2020. Daniel Craig, in what might be his last appearance, will be still playing James Bond.

The Daily Mail quoted a movie insider as saying that there is a scene when M says, 'Come in 007' and Lashana walks in. She is black, beautiful, and a woman.

The new Bond film is apparently set in Jamaica when a retired Bond is called back by M to tackle a global crisis. The insider also added that the phrase 'Bond girls' will henceforth not be in use, and they will be addressed as "Bond women".

Lashana Lynch is a British actor of Jamaican descent who made her film debut in Film Girls. In 2016, she played the role of Rosaline Capulet in the American period drama series Still Star-Crossed, produced by Shonda Rhimes of How to Get Away with Murder fame. This year, Lynch entered the limelight as fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in the film Captain Marvel.

In what has come across as an interesting observation, many credit this change to writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the introduction of a female agent as 007. While Lynch may not be in technical terms the real Bond, but she is 007, and hopefully, as Bond woman, not just another pretty sidekick.

(Edited by Megha Reddy)

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