Lashana Lynch has appeared to confirm that she will be taking on the mantle of 007 from the retiring Daniel Craig in the James Bond film, No Time to Die.
"I am one Black woman -- if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse," Lynch told Harper's Bazaar when discussing rumors that a Black woman would become the new 007. "I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I’m a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary."
A July 2019 report indicated that Lynch, who starred in Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel, would replace Craig as 007 in his final James Bond film. James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli also said it is possible the next Bond actor could be female or a person of color in 2018.
The much-delayed No Time to Die was rumored to be skipping theaters, in favor of debuting on a premium subscription service such as Netflix or Apple TV. However, EON Productions, run by Barbara Broccoli, nixed any and all deals that would have led to No Time to Die going to a streamer, as the company considered it a misstep that would undermine the Bond franchise's prestige.
According to a high-level executive, "This was definitely not a meeting of the minds." Netflix was reported to have found the asking price for No Time to Die to be too expensive, while Apple TV is reported to have considered making an offer of $350 million to $400 million. MGM reportedly hoped to receive a $650 million to $700 million offer to recover $250 million in production costs and $50 million in marketing costs. Other factors considered by MGM were the license fees to its distribution partners and deals for director Cary Fukunaga and stars Daniel Craig and Romy Malek.
In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Directed and co-written by Cary Fukunaga, No Time to Die stars Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen and Rami Malek.
Source: Harper's Bazaar