Since Daniel Craig has retired from portraying James Bond, the search has been on to find a younger replacement. And some fans online mentioned it was time for a woman or person of color to take up the 007 mantle. Another voice was added to the chatter as a British intelligence expert explained why the next James Bond should be a female or BIPOC.
As multiple names continue to emerge, the real MI6 has weighed in on the next Bond debate. British intelligence trainer John Taylor told The Telegraph that frontrunners like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Hardy wouldn’t improve MI6 diversity and operational capacity. However, he advocated for a female or BIPOC 007 to help with the agency’s recruitment. Taylor said:
[Bond is the] biggest recruitment aid. 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.
Of course, the agency wants to increase its appeal. And the Bond franchise has been its biggest recruiting tool. It made sense that Taylor and MI6 chiefs would want the iconic superspy to be either a woman or BIPOC to widen the UK intelligence agency’s search pool. Technically the agency and Bond fans already got a female 007 with Lashana Lynch’s Nomi in No Time to Die. So part of their objective has been fulfilled.
However, Nomi is only a supporting character, so her presence might not be as powerful as Bond to the intelligence agency. Despite Taylor’s angle, a female James Bond seemingly won’t happen as Bond producer Barbara Broccoli prefers strong female characters in supporting roles. Lynch’s Nomi and Ana de Armas’s Paloma proved the other Bond characters can steal the show, which might work in MI6’s favor.
While a female Bond is out of the question, the probability of a POC man taking over the role seems more realistic. Multiple actors of color have been thrown out there, including Rege-Jean Page and Henry Golding. However, the most consistent name to come up as the next James Bond is Idris Elba. Unfortunately, Elba has repeatedly shot down the rumors as he mentioned them becoming less of a compliment due to his race becoming a double-edged sword. Elba filled the 007 void with John Luther’s debut feature Luther: The Fallen Sun. Despite pulling his name out of the running, the Three Thousand Years of Longing star has remained a top Bond contender to viewers, including Tom Hanks.
Idris Elba’s age also played a role in him turning down the coveted role. Bond producers have been adamant that the next 007 actor needs to be in their 30s. Unfortunately, the Hollywood A-lister just turned 51, which takes him out of the race. Other than with Page and Golding, other actors of color including Damon Idris and Lucien Laviscount have been mentioned by fans in the past. They all fall within the age range while pushing the character into the 21st century.
As the next James Bond search continues, fans can stream most of the Bond franchise, including No Time to Die, through an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Watch the thrilling trailer for the streamer’s Bond reality competition 007: Road to a Million to fill the void. The series will arrive on November 10. Make sure to return to CinemaBlend for more updates on the next Bond.